September 30, 2004

 

 

Taiwan To Capitalise On Void In Chicken Export Market
 

Taiwan's chicken exports are expected to benefit from the market vacuum left by the bird flu crisis in some Southeast Asian nations.

 

Exports to Japan may increase as the country has lifted its ban on Taiwan imports effective as of September. So far Chen Sheng Foods Co., Kai Hsin Foods Co. and Go Chuan Foods Co. have applied to be Taiwan poultry distributors. Japan has yet to dispatch agricultural officials to Taiwan for animal health and environmental inspections.

 

Japan and South Korea are two major chicken-importing nations in Asia. But during the first quarter of this year, Japan imposed a ban on chicken products from Taiwan, China and Thailand due to the bird flu outbreaks.

 

The country still bans raw chicken meats from China and Thailand, but has relaxed the ban on cooked Chinese chicken meats.

 

Japan's decision to drop the ban on Taiwan poultry imports should help the Taiwanese poultry farmers significantly. This is especially important after Taiwan removes quotas on chicken imports next year, a move that will introduce more poultry products into the country from all over the world, said local industry experts.

 

"Exports to Japan and other countries should offset some of the losses which are expected to be incurred after the removal of the quotas," according to Wang Chien-pei, an official with the Poultry Association of the Republic of China.

 

Meanwhile, Singapore, which formerly relied on neighboring Malaysia and Thailand for egg imports, is also considering switching orders to Taiwan.

 

Lin Hsing-cheng, poultry chief of the National Animal Industry Foundation (NAIF), said Taiwan eggs may present a competitive force in Singapore. The appeal lies in the high quality and lower prices, as compared with other nations. Eggs are sold at NT$15 per Taiwanese kilogram in Taiwan.

 

"Our eggs have been exported to as far as the Middle East, but we have never exported to Singapore," Lin said.

 

NAIF statistics suggest that as many as six Taiwan egg importers/exporters have expressed interest in distributing eggs to Singapore.

 

Singapore has yet to send officials from its Agri-food and Veterinary Authority to Taiwan for animal health and environmental inspections.