Chicken rice no more! Singapore's de-facto national dish in the crossfire as Malaysia bans chicken exports

A plate of chicken rice is seen before it is delivered to a customer at a hawker centre in Singapore on May 31, 2022. Singapore imports a third of its chicken supply from Malaysia, which will halt the export of 3.6 million chickens a month from June 1 onwards, amid surging prices and supply concerns. - AFP

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 (Reuters): Singapore is bracing for a shortage of its de-facto national dish, chicken rice, as major supplier Malaysia halts all chicken exports from Wednesday.

Restaurants and street stalls in the city-state are faced with hiking prices of the staple food or shutting down altogether as their supplies dwindle from neighbouring Malaysia, where production has been disrupted by a global feed shortage.