Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Jakarta has rejected Kuala Lumpur`s offer to export chickens because Indonesia still could step up its poultry products to meet its own needs, a senior official said.

Director General for Animal Husbandry Tjeppy D Soedjana said here on Friday that the Malaysian offer was made when he met Malaysian Minister for Agriculture and Industry Moh Bin Omar on Thursday.

The director general said he was told by Omar that Malaysia had been freed from bird flu.

He said that based on Law No. 18 / 2009 on animal husbandry, import could not be carried out if production at home could already meet the domestic demand.

Soedjana said that production at home in the form of day old chicks (DOC) reached 17 million per week. The production capacity is 40 million DOC per week so that production at home still could be increased.

"The need for chicken meat in the country depends on seasons such as in the runup to and during religious holidays. During these days demand is high," he said.

He said that so far, poultry markets were found in big cities, particularly for live chickens. "Isolated areas are not taken into account by chicken producers," he added.(*)