RI may lose US$10m on poultry export

Indonesia stands to lose millions of dollars in exports due to import bans imposed by consumer countries on Indonesian poultry, an association said.

Thomas Darmawan, executive director of the Indonesian Food and Beverages Association (GAPMMI) told The Jakarta Post on Monday that prior to the import bans, Indonesia exported chicken to Japan, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Malaysia, reaping an estimated revenue of between US$5 million and $6 million last year.

Aside from meat, he said, Indonesia also exported day-old chickens (DOC) and eggs to East Timor, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam, generating an estimated revenue of $5 million in 2003.

All the countries have slapped import bans on Indonesian poultry following the outbreak of avian influenza, which had killed 4.7 million chickens in the country as of last week.

According to GAPMMI, domestic poultry (chicken and duck) production reached 1,073,000 tons last year, while eggs reached 1,060,000 tons. -- JP