The measures come days after Ismail abolished the approved permit rules for imports of food items including chicken, coconut and evaporated milk to secure adequate food supplies in the country. The move is likely to impact neighbouring Singapore, which sources a third of its chicken supply from Malaysia, according to data from the Singapore Food Agency.
Malaysia will halt exports of 3.6 million chickens a month from June 1 and scrap the approved permit requirement for importing wheat until production and prices stabilize, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.
The government set a ceiling price of 8.9 ringgit (US$2) per chicken and said it would recognize more slaughterhouses abroad in a bid to boost local supplies and curtail rising prices, according to a statement on Monday.
