M'sia halting chicken exports: Staff at S'pore suppliers put on leave as some wet market stalls shut for now

SINGAPORE — Five days after Malaysia enforced a ban on chicken exports, some Singapore suppliers are halting production lines and putting workers on leave while some wet market stallholders say they will close until the ban is lifted.

The ban on chicken exports by Malaysian authorities, imposed on June 1, was designed to stabilise chicken supply and price in the country amid a shortage of the product.

Mr Ma Chin Chew, director of Hup Heng Poultry Industries, told TODAY on Monday (June 6) that his company has asked employees to clear their leave as the firm halts production of fresh chicken. He did not state if the leave was paid or not.

Similarly, importer Kee Song Food has put its employees on leave. Its head of business development James Sim said the move is a chance for the workers to recharge after working extra shifts.

However, chicken rice stallholders have so far managed to operate as usual. 

Mr Lincoln Chew, owner of Nam Kee Chicken located at Upper Thomson Road, told TODAY that they have not been forced to switch to frozen chicken at the moment. 

“We are still getting fresh, frozen chicken. This is when the fresh chicken is frozen for about a day or two, but other than that, nothing has changed,” he said.