diff --git a/dockers/docker-orchagent/orchagent.sh b/dockers/docker-orchagent/orchagent.sh
index 917205f3eb..a68f2d70fb 100755
--- a/dockers/docker-orchagent/orchagent.sh
+++ b/dockers/docker-orchagent/orchagent.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-# Export platform information. Required to be able to write
-# vendor specific code.
-export platform=`sonic-cfggen -y /etc/sonic/sonic_version.yml -v asic_type`
+EXIT_SWSS_VARS_FILE_NOT_FOUND=1
+SWSS_VARS_FILE=/usr/share/sonic/templates/swss_vars.j2
 
-MAC_ADDRESS=$(sonic-cfggen -d -v 'DEVICE_METADATA.localhost.mac')
+if [ ! -f "$SWSS_VARS_FILE" ]; then
+    echo "SWSS vars template file not found"
+    exit $EXIT_SWSS_VARS_FILE_NOT_FOUND
+fi
+
+# Retrieve SWSS vars from sonic-cfggen
+SWSS_VARS=$(sonic-cfggen -d -y /etc/sonic/sonic_version.yml -t $SWSS_VARS_FILE)
+platform=$(echo $SWSS_VARS | jq -r '.asic_type')
+
+MAC_ADDRESS=$(echo $SWSS_VARS | jq -r '.mac')
 if [ "$MAC_ADDRESS" == "None" ] || [ -z "$MAC_ADDRESS" ]; then
     MAC_ADDRESS=$(ip link show eth0 | grep ether | awk '{print $2}')
     logger "Mac address not found in Device Metadata, Falling back to eth0"
@@ -27,7 +35,7 @@ ORCHAGENT_ARGS+="-b 8192 "
 # ID field could be integers just to denote the asic instance like 0,1,2...
 # OR could be PCI device ID's which will be strings like "03:00.0"
 # depending on what the SAI/SDK expects.
-asic_id=`sonic-cfggen -d -v DEVICE_METADATA.localhost.asic_id`
+asic_id=$(echo $SWSS_VARS | jq -r '.asic_id')
 if [ -n "$asic_id" ]
 then
     ORCHAGENT_ARGS+="-i $asic_id "
@@ -51,7 +59,7 @@ elif [ "$platform" == "mellanox" ]; then
 elif [ "$platform" == "innovium" ]; then
     ORCHAGENT_ARGS+="-m $MAC_ADDRESS"
 else
-    MAC_ADDRESS=`sonic-cfggen -d -v 'DEVICE_METADATA.localhost.mac'`
+    # Should we use the fallback MAC in case it is not found in Device.Metadata
     ORCHAGENT_ARGS+="-m $MAC_ADDRESS"
 fi
 
diff --git a/dockers/docker-orchagent/swss_vars.j2 b/dockers/docker-orchagent/swss_vars.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0a0b2712f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dockers/docker-orchagent/swss_vars.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+    "asic_type": "{{ asic_type }}",
+    "asic_id": "{{ DEVICE_METADATA.localhost.asic_id }}",
+    "mac": "{{ DEVICE_METADATA.localhost.mac }}"
+}
+