diff --git a/build_packages b/build_packages
index 23722d68dd..6579c58154 100755
--- a/build_packages
+++ b/build_packages
@@ -222,6 +222,8 @@ break_dep_loop sys-apps/util-linux udev,systemd sys-apps/systemd cryptsetup
 break_dep_loop sys-apps/systemd cryptsetup
 
 info "Merging board packages now"
+# The following line is required by chroots present in "update-bootengine"
+setup_qemu_static "${BOARD_ROOT}"
 sudo -E "${EMERGE_CMD[@]}" "${EMERGE_FLAGS[@]}" \
     @system coreos-devel/board-packages