Short-term measure: Mohamad meeting the press at Parliament lobby. He says the shortage of eggs was due to lower production at the end of last year. — Bernama
MALAYSIA now has sufficient production of eggs and even has a surplus to export.
Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the decision to import eggs was because of low production between October and December last year.
The ministry had then agreed to approve the special import permit for a period of six months, starting from December last year, said the Agriculture and Food Security Minister.
He added that the move to import eggs served as a short-term measure by his ministry.
The eggs imported from India are white-shelled, weighing between 50g and 55g, which can be classifiedas Grade D eggs in Malaysia.
In the first two months of this year, however, a total of 2.4 billion eggs were produced, said Mohamad.
“On average, we need 11.6 billion eggs per year to meet domestic demand with an average consumption of 968 million eggs monthly.
“The production record shows it is sufficient for domestic needs every year and there is a surplus for Malaysia to export eggs,” he said.
The company given the green light to import eggs from India has the experience to do so, Mohamad said in a written reply to Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasik Gelugor).
He said it was the only company permitted to import eggs.
“The company was given the permission based on its experience in importing eggs from India to Qatar to fulfil demand during the 2022 World Cup,” he said.
Wan Saiful had asked the government to reveal the companies with approved permits (APs) to import eggs from India and the duration of the permits.
However, Mohamad’s written reply did not mention the name of the company.
According to figures, a total of 13.4 billion eggs were produced in Malaysia in 2018, 10.9 billion in 2019 and 12.9 billion in 2020.
In 2021, a total of 13.6 billion were produced while last year, the egg production was at 13.3 billion.
