Malaysia to import chicken eggs to address ‘temporary’ shortage
Malaysia will temporarily import chicken eggs as a stopgap measure to address the country’s egg supply shortage until a long-term solution is decided, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu said.
The short-term solution is vital to ensure the food security of Malaysians, the minister said.
He added that Malaysians consume an average of 968 million chicken eggs every month.
He said several foreign sources have been identified, adding that all imported egg sources would adhere to established safety standards with “zero compromises”.
Mohamad also assured the people that the initiative was not designed to pressure local egg producers through competition but to prevent disruptions to the domestic egg supply.
“The initiative to bring in chicken eggs from foreign sources will ensure that the supply of eggs in the country is not cut off and the welfare of the people is maintained,” he said in a Facebook post.
He added that the foreign imports would be reviewed once the domestic supply has stabilised.
He said the ministry’s secretary-general had been tasked with monitoring the impact of importing eggs from foreign sources on local markets.
He also said that Agrobank had been asked to provide advice to local suppliers and entrepreneurs on how to remain competitive.
Mohamad added he was confident that the egg shortage would be resolved in the future with the cooperation of various parties.
The Star
Asia News Network
