February 16, 2004

 

 

Japan Look To Malaysia As Poultry Source

 

Japan has turned to Malaysia as a potential source for poultry following bans on US and Thai chickens on concerns over bird flu.

 

A maiden cargo of 10 to 12 containers of boneless chicken, totalling about 200 to 240 tonnes, was due for Japan between end-March and early-April, broiler industry sources in Malaysia said on Friday.

 

Demand for chicken legs, which Japan has sourced from Malaysia since 1995, has jumped 50 percent from a month ago, the sources said.

 

"We are starting from a zero base with Japan and they want breast meat, leg meat, fillet and wings," said Edward Lim, the general manager at Sinmah Food Industries Sdn Bhd, which secured the boneless chicken order.

 

Japan, one of Asia's top three poultry buyers, has suspended imports from the United States, Thailand and China because of bird flu outbreaks.

 

The most virulent form of the disease has killed at least 19 people in Asia.

 

The Philippines said this week it had also received inquiries from Japan but no sales had materialised.

 

Malaysian poultry producers said local demand for chicken, down nearly 30 percent last week as fears of bird flu hit home, had improved after prices were cut by around a third.

 

"We're producing about a million birds a day now, compared with around 800,000 last week," said Yap Kin Swah, an official at the Federation of Livestock Farmers Association of Malaysia.

 

Live chickens in Kuala Lumpur were retailing at 2.80 ringgit per kg (2.2 lb) on Friday, from 4.0 ringgit last week. Slaughtered fowls fetched a maximum of 3.35 ringgit a kg, from 5.40 ringgit previously.