Crying fowl: Poultry players scramble for fresh, frozen chicken supplies before Malaysia’s ban kicks in

WITH Malaysia’s surprise ban on live chicken exports set to kick in on Jun 1, poultry suppliers and food outlets in Singapore are busy ramping up orders of frozen chicken, triggering a spike in demand for cold storage facilities, while others are stepping up imports of live chicken over the next few days. 

Oh Wei Chiat, chief operating officer of chicken importer Boong Poultry, will be sourcing for “as much frozen chicken as possible” to tide through the next month. Boong Poultry has 16 kampung chicken farms in Malaysia, and imports over 12,000 livestock into Singapore daily.

Importing fresh, chilled chicken from alternative markets will be “challenging” due to its short shelf life and limited supply, Oh noted - though it is an option he is exploring. “Buying chilled chicken from countries like Indonesia and Thailand will require a longer shipping lead time (than Malaysia), and I’m worried about how fresh the meat will be when it reaches us. So I’m currently checking with customers if they are okay with frozen chicken as a substitute.”