August 20, 2004

 

 

Wholesale Price Of Frozen Chicken Up 20% In Singapore After Malaysian Poultry Ban
 

Following the ban on poultry imports from Malaysia, Singapore's wholesalers have raised the price of frozen chicken by some 20 percent.

 

Large supermarket chains, however, have not pushed up prices yet.

 

They are selling down their stocks, but warned that when they start importing from countries further away, prices may go up.

 

Chicken sellers at one market in the eastern part of Singapore are worried.

 

Business is not good and with no fresh poultry to sell, some say they may be forced to take a break. Others are planning to start selling frozen poultry instead.

 

Members of the Poultry Merchants' Association are hoping that the ban on Malaysian imports can be lifted within a week. The Government has warned it may take much longer.

 

Over at the island's supermarkets, shelves were full. There was no mad rush to stock up on chickens or eggs, nor were shoppers avoiding poultry products.

 

Mr Lim Swee Say, Second Minister for National Development, said: "As far as the supply of chicken is concerned, we do not see the likelihood of any profiteering, because as I mentioned earlier, there is enough supply and in fact all the traders are bringing in additional supply."

 

Mr Tng Ah Yiam, Senior Purchasing Manager of NTUC FairPrice, said: "We source around more than 50 percent of eggs from local farms. Our local farms have actually assured us that they will continue supporting Fairprice to ensure that we have sufficient eggs for our shoppers. On top of that, we also activated importing of eggs from Australia."

 

NTUC assures customers it still has enough frozen poultry and eggs for the next two to three months. They have also increased their supply of meat and fish from countries like Brazil, and Europe.

 

Mr Lim added: "It is still safe to eat chicken and duck because basically, the danger of the bird flu is only in terms of direct contact, close contact with the live chicken."