JOHOR BARU – Only one Malaysian company was given approval to import eggs from India, said the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
This was a short-term intervention to resolve egg shortage in Malaysia.
“As of now, only one company is given approval based on the application and recommendations received by the ministry,” said the ministry in a parliamentary reply.
It added that the company was allowed to import white shell eggs, weighing between 50g and 55g each, or known as Grade D in Malaysia or medium in India.
This was in response to a question by Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Tasek Gelugor-PN) on the number for egg exports by local companies and the government’s reason for importing eggs from India.
The ministry also said the company was chosen based on its experience of exporting eggs from India to Qatar to fulfil demands for the World Cup last year.
“With their experience of supplying eggs in a short amount of time, the ministry agreed to approve the special import licence for a period of six months beginning December 2022,” according to the parliamentary reply.
The ministry also assured that there were strict biosecurity controls for every consignment which underwent hold-test-release examinations to ensure these eggs were free from bird flu, Newcastle disease, and salmonella pathogens.
Locally, the ministry said 13.4 billion eggs were produced in 2018, 10.9 billion in 2019, 12.9 billion in 2020, 13.6 billion in 2021 and 13.3 billion in 2022.
Meanwhile, January and February this year saw 2.4 billion eggs produced. – The Vibes, March 1, 2023
