Taiwan now importing eggs from 8 countries
台灣現在從8個國家進口雞蛋
| Lines for eggs should shrink by April, shortage to end in May or June: COA Minister
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Council of Agriculture (COA) on Wednesday (March 15) said Taiwan is importing eggs from eight countries and as both imported and domestic supplies increase, the long lines for eggs should be greatly reduced by April and the shortage should come to an end by May or June. Prior to a meeting of the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday, COA Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) fielded questions from the media about the egg situation. When asked when the shortage will be alleviated, Chen listed several reasons why he believes it will improve significantly by April. Chen said that an increase in breeding and incubation has been implemented, the weather has begun to warm up, the bird flu has been properly controlled, and domestic production capacity has been increased, alleviating the egg shortage, reported UDN. He added that more eggs will be imported this week and next week to make up for the gap in domestic production. During the Legislative Yuan session, Kuomintang Legislator Tseng Ming-chung (曾銘宗) asked Chen when the egg shortage would be completely eliminated. Chen said that domestic production capacity is recovering, the demand for laying hens is very strong, and feed consumption is increasing this month and predicted that domestic production should stabilize by May or June. Chen said in the short term, from this week until the end of March, more than five million eggs will enter the market, with even more becoming available in April. He said that due to the impact of the bird flu, Taiwan had reduced its imports of eggs, but after international producers adjusted their practices in accordance with World Organisation for Animal Health standards for avian influenza, imports rose. On March 10, Taiwan began importing eggs from eight countries, including the U.S., Australia, Japan, Brazil, Turkey, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, according to Chen. Chen said that the industry is anticipating that the short-term shortage can be made up through imports until domestic production recovers. |
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| Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2023-03-15 |
