Malaysia suspends chicken exports amid rising food prices

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia suspended exports of live chickens Wednesday (June 1, 2022). The move is meant to guarantee enough supplies for domestic markets, but it’s prompting distress in neighboring Singapore, where chicken rice is a national dish. Malaysia typically exports up to 3.6 million chickens a month. The ban is felt most in Singapore which sources a third of its poultry from Malaysia. Almost all the chickens are imported live to Singapore, where they are slaughtered and chilled. Singapore consumers have rushed stock up on fresh chicken. Malaysia’s ban comes as countries worldwide grapple with soaring food prices, fueled partly by the Ukraine war.