Distress in Singapore as Malaysia bans chicken export

Chickens are seen in a poultry farm in Temerloh in Malaysia's Pahang state on Tueday, May 31, 2022. Malaysia will halt the export of 3.6 million chickens a month from June 1 onwards, amid surging prices and supply concerns, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on May 23. - AFP

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (AP): Diners in Singapore are bracing for prices of their national chicken-and-rice dish to soar as neighboring Malaysia prepares to block exports starting Wednesday to increase supplies in its own markets and hold down surging prices.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced last week that, beginning Wednesday (June 1), Malaysia will ban exports of 3.6 million chickens a month until domestic prices and production stabilize. The move is felt most in Singapore, which sources a third of its poultry from Malaysia.