People buy chicken at a market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysia will halt the export of chicken from June 1 as the country faces a shortage of chicken along with soaring prices.
This is the latest country to impose restrictions on food exports in response to rising prices. Earlier, India had issued a ban on wheat exports, while Indonesia halted palm oil exports.
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on May 23 that the ban on the export of chicken will be effective until production and prices stabilise.
The country exports 3.6 million tonnes of chicken a month.
Malaysia’s move raised concern for Singapore, which heavily depends on its food supply. According to the Singapore Food Agency's data, about one-third of Singapore's chicken supply in 2021 was imported from Malaysia.
Singapore warned that the ban could lead to “temporary disruption of chilled chicken" but the country is working with importers to minimise the impact on the market and call on people to buy food in line with their needs.
Other Malaysian chicken export markets include Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong (China).
In addition to the export adjustment measure, the Malaysian authorities will seek to increase chicken production, remove some import permits and investigate allegations related to price hike, Yakoob said./.
