Sri Lankan egg imports seen to hurt industry

The Sri Lankan government's decision to import eggs and processed chicken in order to stabilise prices would have an adverse impact on the poultry industry, poultry farmers said.

According to poultry farmers, the present price of an egg varies from Rs. 15 to Rs. 18.50 while a kilo of processed whole chicken in the local market ranges from Rs. 325 to Rs. 375.

However, they raised concern over the government's plan to import the poultry products. They added that in such a situation the imported products would be much cheaper, and claimed it would certainly impact the local poultry business.

According to industry official Hettiwatta, it was unknown egg merchants in Pettah who control the egg prices in the country and asked for the government to intervene into the matter before importing the poultry products to the country.

In addition, the cost of production has gone up, while the high demand for eggs and chicken to the north has contributed to the latest price hike.

"Although demand has increased, production has not increased up to now. Prices of poultry food and maintenance costs have gone up, and in that situation there was no other alternative but to increase the prices," Hettiwatta said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Nelna Farms said that the cost of production and the high demand have resulted in the present price hike, adding that importation of eggs and processed chicken for a lower price would impact all businesses.