MORE RI CHICKEN EXPORTS TO MALAYSIA POSSIBLE : TRADE MINISTER

Kuala Lumpur, Jun 16 (ANTARA) - Indonesia may well export more chickens to Malaysia provided the necessary deals are made with producers in Indonesia, and supply for domestic consumption is not affected, Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said here Monday.

"We will study these two matters. But there is no ban on exporting chickens to Malaysia. As long as deals can be made with Indonesian producers, (Malaysia) can go ahead (and import more chickens from Indonesia)," Pangestu said on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum which opened here on June 15 and is to end on June 16.

Earlier in the day, Malaysian Consumer Affairs and Domestic Trade Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad had said he would discuss the possibility of importing more chickens from Indonesia and Thailand with his colleague in Malaysia's agriculture and agro-based industries ministry to stablize the cmmodity's price.

Samad's ministry had previously set the chicken price in Malaysia at between 6 Malaysian ringgit (Rp17,500) and 6.70 Malaysian ringgit (Rp19,500) per kg but the market price had surpassed this level and reached 8 Malaysian ringgit (Rp23,000) per kg.

The price increase was due to higher production cost as a consequence of an increase in the price of poultry feed.

Pangestu on the occasion also mentioned the Indonesian government's plan to open one million hectares of paddy fields in Papua in connection with the interest of a number of businessmen in Islamic countries in investing in Indonesia's agricultural sector, rice cultivation in particular.

"The plan is now being studied. One of the matters currently being discussed is provision of the needed land, how much will be made available by the central government, how much by the regional administration," she said.