ASEAN Post published an article for many Singaporeans, a plate of poached or roasted chicken on a bed of fragrant rice is a favorite meal. It’s often referred to as the country’s national dish. As one stallholder said: “I don’t think Singapore cannot have chicken rice. It’s like not having pizza in New York.”
But this much-loved and affordable meal may soon become harder to get – and more expensive. That’s because its key ingredient – chicken – has been hit by export curbs. As prices soar around the world, some Asian nations have banned or limited exports of key foods as they try to protect supplies at home. India has banned wheat exports and capped its sugar exports at 10 million tonnes. The country is the world’s largest sugar producer and ranks number two for global exports of the commodity. As Ukraine’s exports of wheat plunged after the start of the war and other major producers faced droughts and floods, commodity traders were expecting India to make up for part of the shortfall. Senior research fellow David Laborde said, “The example set by India currently is very problematic and a lot of smaller economies are thinking if India does it, so should we.”