Trade Minister explores egg exports to Singapore amid supply surplus

Trade Minister Budi Santoso has stated that current production of eggs and chicken meat is in surplus, causing prices to fall, and the government is therefore exploring exports to Singapore. “Indeed, eggs and chicken meat are in surplus. So there is an oversupply,” Budi said in Jakarta on Tuesday. According to him, with the surplus production of eggs and chicken meat, the government is trying to explore exporting these commodities to Singapore. However, Budi stated that his office is still working to find buyers, and once found, they will be connected with producers in Indonesia. “We haven’t secured a buyer yet, but we have already explored the possibility so that the surplus can be absorbed by other countries. So there is an export opportunity,” he said. Budi noted that the price decline is not only occurring for eggs and chicken but also for a number of other staple foods. He added that the current prices for eggs and chicken are below the highest retail price (HET), with the market price for eggs currently at Rp26,000 per kilogram, down from the HET of Rp30,000. The price of chicken meat has also fallen, from an HET of Rp40,000 per kilogram to Rp36,000 per kilogram. “So, if you look at the Market and Basic Needs Monitoring System (SP2KP), indeed several prices have fallen. Yesterday I went to Banyumas, and several commodities had dropped,” he said. Besides the production surplus, Budi said the government’s suspension of the free nutritious meal programme (MBG) has caused absorption of these commodities to decline. “Indeed, one of the factors is the MBG being suspended. So absorption has decreased,” he stated.