Thailand finds market for its chilled poultry in Singapore

BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN): The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is pushing a new policy for the export of new agricultural products.

The Department of Livestock Development has been continuously coordinating coordinating with the Singapore Food Agency until they agreed to expand the scope of Thai products to include chilled poultry meat.

In the past, Thailand was able to export only frozen poultry meat, said Sorawit Thaneto, director-general of the Department of Livestock Development.

Singapore classifies chilled poultry products as high-risk products since the product is chilled, stored at 0-4 degrees Celsius, can be cooked immediately, had good taste and is fresh but has a short shelf life, while frozen products are stored at temperatures not less than minus 18 degrees Celsius and have a long shelf life.

"Singapore is a country with confidence in the safety of poultry products and has accepted the Department of Livestock Production overseeing poultry meat production, which has measures to control Salmonella.

"This expansion in export will help generate jobs in poultry production with an expected export volume of not less than 1,000 tonnes, worth Bt100 million (US$3mil)," said the director.