Indonesia looks to resume poultry exports to Japan

Indonesian trade officials are currently in talks with their Japanese counterparts over the possibility of resuming poultry exports.

Poultry exports to Japan were halted in early 2004 in the aftermath of an avian flu outbreak that affected many Indonesian poultry breeders.

Local poultry producers have expressed their readiness to ship processed poultry products to Japan, which could provide export earnings of at least US$200 million a year for Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

Indonesia may serve as an alternative source for McDonald’s Japan who stopped purchasing chicken from China’s Shanghai Husi Food Co. Ltd. after the exposure of a food safety scandal earlier thisyear.

Indonesian poultry producers could meet standards applied in Japan and has already gained a competitive edge compared to rivals in China or Thailand thanks to efficient production, the Indonesian Poultry Breeders Association (GAPPI) chairman Anton J. Supit has suggested.

“I am optimistic now we can make it. We still only need to see whether the price matches or not,” Supit said, adding that delivery of poultry products, such as yakitori and karage, might begin before year-end.