January 27, 2015
Indonesia poultry industry gets a lift from lifting of Japan import ban
Indonesia sees a favorable outlook for its poultry industry partly due to the lifting of Japan''s 10-year ban on processed-chicken imports from the country.
Agriculture Ministry director general for livestock Syukur Irwanto, who said Japanese authorities lifted the ban last November, disclosed that three Indonesian publicly listed poultry firms had been so far given the green light to export processed-chicken products to Japan, which accounts for 10% of the global broiler chicken imports, the Jakarta Post reported.
The companies are PT Charoen Pokphand Indonesia (CPIN), PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia (JPFA) and PT Malindo Feedmill (MAIN).
"This is a fundamental change [for the poultry industry]. This is the first time we can start exporting our processed-chicken products after a ban that lasted around 10 years," Syukur was quoted as saying by the Indonesian daily.
Japan imposed a ban on Indonesian poultryand poultry products in 2004, when cases of avian influenza broke out in Southeast Asia''s largest economy.
The Office of International des Epizooties (OIE), or World Organization for Animal Health, has not recorded any bird flu outbreak in Indonesia as of September 2014.
The Jakarta Post reported that CPIN was already preparing to export its products to Japan after the lifting of the ban. No statements were issued by JPFA and MAIN.
Indonesia''s poultry industry currently enjoys stabilized prices of day-old chicks (DOC) and broilers.
According to data from UOB Kay Hian, the DOC price stands at around Rp3,100 (24 US cents) per chick, up from around Rp1,000 to Rp1,500 (8-12 cents) per bird in October. The average broiler price has also surged to around Rp17,000 ($1.36 per) kilogram from around Rp12,500 ($1) per kg in October.