16 September 2026, 14:00 UTC

Indonesia Reports 33% Rise in Chicken Exports, 13% in Eggs, and Targets Five New Markets

Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture says chicken exports rose 33 percent and egg exports 13 percent in 2026, with Singapore taking both eggs and live birds and Vietnam buying day-old chicks. Five additional markets in Asia and Europe have entered the ministry's pipeline over the past two to three months. Baseline volumes and values behind the percentages were not disclosed.

Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture said poultry exports expanded again in 2026, with chicken exports up 33 percent and egg exports up 13 percent, and confirmed that five additional destination markets are being worked on, iNews.id reported.

The figures were presented by Makmun, Director of Livestock Product Downstreaming at the ministry, at the International Livestock, Dairy, Meat Processing and Aquaculture Exposition (IDLEX) 2026, held at ICE BSD in Tangerang on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.

Growth measured on three axes

According to iNews.id, Makmun said the ministry tracks the expansion of livestock exports across volume, value and the number of destination countries, and that all three have risen from year to year. The 33 percent gain in chicken exports and the 13 percent gain in egg exports are the two headline figures for the current year.

The ministry did not publish the base volumes or the absolute value of the shipments behind those percentages, nor the exact comparison period. That leaves the tonnage involved unclear: a third more chicken exports carries a very different market weight depending on whether the starting point is measured in thousands of tonnes or in a handful of containers.

Singapore, Vietnam, Timor-Leste and Japan

Makmun named several Asian markets already receiving Indonesian livestock products. Singapore is the most developed, taking both eggs and live birds. Vietnam receives Indonesian breeding stock, including day-old chicks (DOC). Timor-Leste and Japan were also listed among the destinations.

Singapore — eggs and live poultry
Vietnam — breeding stock, including day-old chicks (DOC)
Timor-Leste — livestock products
Japan — livestock products

Exporting live birds is a narrower trade than shipping frozen meat. It requires the importing country to accept the exporter's animal health status, and consignments tend to be small and frequent rather than bulk. Singapore's acceptance of both eggs and live poultry from Indonesia therefore reflects a working veterinary arrangement, not only a price advantage.

The product mix also shapes the economics. Live birds and day-old chicks are time-critical cargo moved by air or short sea crossings, while shell eggs are a bulk, low-unit-value product whose competitiveness falls as the freight leg lengthens. All four markets named lie within short-haul distance of Indonesia.

Five markets in the pipeline, including Europe

Makmun said the ministry has added five countries to its market-opening pipeline over the past two to three months, covering both Asian and European destinations. He did not identify the countries or give a timeline for first shipments.

A European opening would raise the bar. Access for poultry meat, eggs and live birds is governed by bilateral veterinary agreements and establishment-level approvals rather than commercial demand alone, and distance changes the cost structure: sea freight to Europe runs for weeks, while air freight absorbs a large share of the margin on low-value protein.

What the data leaves open

For processors, traders and importers, the announcement leaves the key operational questions unanswered: the split between chicken meat and live birds inside the 33 percent figure, the share of table eggs versus hatching eggs inside the 13 percent figure, and which five markets are under negotiation. iNews.id reported the percentages and the destination list as given by the ministry, without accompanying trade statistics.

The venue is part of the message. IDLEX 2026 in Tangerang gathers livestock, dairy, meat processing and aquaculture suppliers, and the ministry's downstream processing directorate used the event to present export growth and market access as its working agenda for the sector.

Expert commentary

“Chicken exports up 33 percent, eggs up 13 percent — and no base published. Percentages off a small base move fast and say little about tonnage. The route map says more than the growth rate. Singapore takes eggs and live birds, Vietnam buys day-old chicks, Timor-Leste and Japan are on the list. Every one of those is short-haul. That is the logic of this trade: live birds and hatchlings have a survival clock measured in days, so they fly or cross short sea legs, while shell eggs are cheap, bulky cargo that cannot carry a long freight rate.

Five new markets in two to three months is an ambitious pace, and some of them are European. Europe changes the arithmetic. Sea freight runs for weeks, air freight eats the margin on low-value protein, and access is decided by veterinary agreements and plant-level approvals, not by growth rates. That process moves on its own timetable, so first shipments are unlikely to show up in this year's numbers.

The highest-value line here is breeding stock. Day-old chicks carry far more value per kilogram of cargo than table eggs and justify air transport, which is why Vietnam sits in the list. Shell eggs will stay a regional business — Singapore, Timor-Leste, the near neighbours. Until the ministry publishes volumes, no one can size Indonesia's share of regional poultry trade from these percentages.”

Fatima Al-Rashid

Logistics & Freight Analyst