Rachel Chong loves chicken rice so much that she eats it three times a week.
“It’s number one on my list. It’s home cooking [and] it’s easily accessible,” she says. A standard order at Ah Keat Chicken Rice, a stand where she eats, costs S$4 ($2.90; £2.30).
For many Singaporeans, a favorite meal is a plate of poached or fried chicken on a bed of fragrant rice. It is often referred to as the country’s national dish. As one stallholder told the BBC: “I don’t think Singapore can’t have chicken rice. It’s like not eating pizza in New York.”
But this popular and affordable meal could soon be harder to come by — and more expensive.
That’s because its main ingredient — chicken — is hit by export restrictions.
As prices soar around the world, some Asian nations have banned or restricted the export of essential foods to protect supplies at home. This week Malaysia reduced the amount of chickens that could be exported.
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This comes after India banned wheat exports and restricted overseas sales of sugar, while Indonesia blocked palm oil exports to stem domestic cooking oil prices.
The moves have raised concerns in countries that rely on food imports that the cost of essential goods will continue to rise. For Singapore, which imports more than 90% of its food, the curbs are of particular concern. The island nation relies on Malaysia for a third of the chicken it consumes.
Unsurprisingly, the news of the export ban led to queues at chicken rice stalls, which can be found in almost every food court and hawker hub in Singapore.
“This time it’s chicken, next time maybe something else. We have to be prepared for that,” said Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The birds used for chicken rice are usually exported live from Malaysia to Singapore, where they are slaughtered, cooked and served.
This is no longer possible since Malaysia blocked exports of chickens and the government said the ban will remain in place “until domestic prices and production stabilise”.
Ah Keat Chicken Rice owner Lim Wei Keat said he wasn’t interested in raising prices, although his Malaysian chicken supplier asked him about 20% more this year as the war in Ukraine pushed up the cost of fuel and corn feed raised.
“We don’t want to increase the price of our chicken rice because it might drive customers away,” Mr. Lim said. “What we expect is that we might be able to absorb the price for about a month. Worse, we actually have to start raising prices by 50 cents a plate.”
But he also worries that he may not be able to get enough chicken in the coming days.
To make up the deficit, he may have to use frozen meat, which may not be appetizing to his customers.
“The perception of frozen is … there’s the frozen smell or the texture is different,” Mr. Lim said. “But honestly, I didn’t see much of a difference. We eat the chickens in [fast food] restaurants and they taste pretty good.”
Meat vendors, however, have fewer options. Hamid bin Buang has been selling chickens at one of the city’s thriving wet markets for more than a decade.
He said his customers have been buying more meat in recent days but now he plans to close his stall until Malaysia lifts its export ban – unsure when he will be able to restock.
“Everyone is worried now. Everyone’s in trouble when there’s no chicken,” he said.
When countries restrict exports, the impact is felt throughout supply chains from manufacturers, retailers and customers, said Paul Teng, a professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Some producers “are worried about their survival, their livelihood and also about future contracts,” Mr Teng said in a recent interview with the BBC’s Asia Business Report.
“At the retail level, if you raise prices, you could turn customers away,” Mr. Teng said.
He added that he expects inflation, which is the rise in the price of food and other basic necessities, to continue due to the Ukraine war.
That’s partly why chicken — the most consumed meat in countries like Singapore and the UK — is becoming increasingly expensive.
Elsewhere in Asia, India has banned wheat exports and limited its sugar exports to 10 million tons.
The country is the world’s largest sugar producer and ranks second in global exports of the commodity.
When Ukraine’s wheat exports plummeted after the war began and other major producers faced drought and flooding, commodity traders expected India to pick up some of the deficit.
“The example of India is very problematic right now, and many smaller economies think if India is doing it, so should we,” said David Laborde, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington DC.
Meanwhile, palm oil prices rose this year as Indonesia, the leading producer of the ingredient used in everything from processed foods to soap, suspended exports for three weeks in a bid to slash local cooking oil prices.
Mr Laborde also warned of the severe impact of export restrictions on consumers, particularly those on low incomes.
“There is still food, but it is more expensive and the poor are the first victims. In some cases, they even have to cut health or education spending,” he said.
Over a plate of her favorite dish, Ms. Chong said she hoped price hikes wouldn’t stop her from eating chicken rice.
“If we can afford it, we should still support businesses like coffee shops or restaurants. We shouldn’t hold back because it’s up pennies,” she said.
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