Cheryl Teh Straits Times 13 Dec 18;
Madam X.Y. Loh, 56, runs a small bakery in Jurong, making a variety of cakes, buns and pastries as well as other goodies.
She uses more than 100 eggs daily and they cost slightly over $300 a month earlier this year. But this has doubled and she expects to shell out more than $600 a month by the end of this month.
"I never would have thought that eggs could get this expensive," Madam Loh said. "I might have to raise my prices soon."
The cost of eggs, particularly during festive seasons, can make a real dent in the total earnings of small businesses like hers, she said.
And there is likely to be no respite from the price increases for eggs any time soon, with a major supplier to Singapore warning that exports may be restricted.
On Monday, Malaysia's Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that the country was looking into limiting, or stopping, the export of eggs. He said that the move was to ensure a sufficient supply for the domestic market.
"We will study if stopping the export is reasonable or not, even if it is for a short term. If it helps to reduce the price of eggs and benefit the people, we will definitely look into it," the minister was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times daily.
He said there was a change in the average price of chicken eggs between mid-last month and this month, when it rose consistently every week in the retail market.
Mr Saifuddin said that residents in Penang, Sarawak and Putrajaya had complained about alleged cartel activity among egg suppliers, which had caused prices to rise in the middle of last month.
He also said checks had been carried out nationwide at the production, distribution and wholesale stages to find out the cause of the price hike.
"If the traders are purposely increasing the price of eggs in order to make exorbitant profits, the ministry will not hesitate to take action under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011," he added.
Local egg farms, such as Seng Choon Farm and Chew's Agriculture, supply 26 per cent of the eggs consumed in Singapore. The rest, or 74 per cent, is imported, and Malaysian farms remain a key source of supplies.
The average Singaporean eats 308 eggs a year, statistics from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority showed last year.
Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported earlier this month that the wholesale price of an egg had jumped from 10 cents in April to 16 cents this month.
The report forecast that prices would continue to rise, particularly with a salmonella outbreak in an egg farm in Yong Peng, Johor.
Before exports from the farm were halted, it exported approximately three million eggs to Singapore, about 6 per cent of the Republic's total egg imports.
Singapore has 'alternative sources' for eggs: AVA says after Malaysia warns may limit exports
Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 18;
SINGAPORE: Singapore has a "wide range of alternative sources" for eggs, in line with its food diversification strategy, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said on Thursday (Dec 13).
Its response comes after Malaysia said on Monday that it was looking into limiting or stopping the export of eggs to ensure sufficient supply for its domestic market.
READ: Malaysia may stop or limit egg exports to maintain local market supply: Minister
Singapore importers are still getting their usual supplies from Malaysia, but the city-state also has a wide range of alternatives, said AVA in a statement on Thursday.
"Our importers are still getting their usual egg supplies from Malaysia," said the authority. "Nevertheless, in line with our overall food diversification strategy, we have a wide range of alternative sources for our eggs, including our local farms."
Last year, egg imports from Malaysia made up 73 per cent of Singapore's egg consumption, said AVA.
Local egg farms produced 27 per cent of Singapore's egg consumption, while less than 1 per cent was imported from accredited farms in Thailand, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
According to NTUC Fairprice, about 40 per cent of its eggs come from Malaysia, and prices have increased by 5 per cent in the last week.
However, it "practises diversified sourcing" to ensure a stable supply.
Sheng Siong says more than half its eggs are from Malaysia and that its supplier is considering getting eggs from Thailand instead.
Source: CNA/nc(hm)
Singapore's egg supplies remain unaffected, says AVA
Contingency plans in place, it says after news that Malaysia may limit exports
Cheryl Teh Straits Times 14 Dec 18;
Singapore's food watchdog has responded to the news that Malaysia may stop or limit egg exports, saying that the Republic has plans in place to acquire eggs from elsewhere if need be.
Earlier this week, Malaysia's Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the country is looking into limiting or stopping the export of eggs, to ensure a sufficient supply for the domestic market.
However, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said supplies remain unaffected for now, with a spokesman adding: "Our importers are still getting their usual egg supplies from Malaysia.
"Nevertheless, in line with our overall food diversification strategy, we have a wide range of alternative sources for our eggs, including our local farms."
Approximately 73 per cent of Singapore's eggs are from Malaysia, according to the AVA, with around a quarter produced here.
Less than 1 per cent of eggs in Singapore are imported from accredited farms in Thailand, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Singapore's egg supply was previously disrupted in 2004 when the emergence of the H5N1 avian flu in a poultry farm in Kelantan resulted in the AVA imposing a ban on all poultry products from Malaysia.
A worker at a chicken egg processing factory in Kuching. Malaysian Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Monday that the country was looking into limiting, or stopping, the export of eggs to ensure sufficient supply for the domestic market.
At the time, Malaysia supplied two-thirds of Singapore's eggs.
Although there were alternative sources for import, these were also more expensive and caused the price of eggs to rise sharply, spiking to 70 cents per egg at one point - almost three times the usual price at the time.
But supermarket staff say that egg supplies currently remain unchanged. Visits by The Straits Times to three chains yesterday saw shelves well-stocked with cartons from Singapore farms like Chew's Agriculture and Seng Choon.
However, local farms cannot fully account for the entirety of the shortfall if supplies are cut off abruptly.
Mr Koh Chern Peng, manager of Seng Choon Farm, said the farm produces about 600,000 eggs a day - about 12 per cent of Singapore's daily demand for eggs.
However, its supplies are "inelastic" and increasing that number would take several months.
"Chickens on the farm need to grow to maturity, and it would take at least half a year to increase the number of eggs produced on the farm," he added.
In the event of a shortage, Mr Koh said the 600,000 eggs will first go to Seng Choon's existing customers, which include local supermarkets like FairPrice.
Alternatives to Malaysian produce, such as eggs from Australia and New Zealand, tend to be significantly more expensive.
A box of 12 cage-free Australian eggs costs $6.70 from online retailer RedMart, while a carton of 30 eggs from Pasar, a Malaysian brand stocked at FairPrice, costs $5.50.
Stallholders at wet markets in Jurong and Serangoon told ST that they are not too concerned about the possibility that Malaysia may restrict egg exports.
"I get my eggs from local sellers," said one stallholder at Serangoon wet market, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim.
"The eggs sold in Singapore are just as good, but are a bit more expensive."
Mr D.Y. Lee, who operates a stall in Jurong, said that if push came to shove, Singaporeans could get their protein from other sources.
"Eggs are tasty and cheap, but you can also eat tofu and meat and many other things for your nutrients," Mr Lee said.
