April 20, 2011

Thai egg output to rise up to 30 million

Thailand's total chicken egg supply will rise up to 30 million monthly to meet local demand, thanks to cooperation from local egg producers and exporters to defer exports until October 2011 as requested by the Thai government.

Watcharee Wimuktayon, Director General of the Thai Ministry of Commerce's Department of Internal Trade, said after a meeting with representatives of local chicken egg traders and producers that most of the local egg businesses, or 90% of them, had agreed with her department's request for their delay of chicken egg exports until October or until the current shortfall is resolved.

Watcharee ensured that domestic supply of chicken eggs will, therefore, increase by 20-30 million units a month until later this year to sufficiently serve domestic demand.

According to the senior Thai Commerce Ministry official, recent Department of Internal Trade nationwide inspections found no irregularities of rising chicken egg prices-which were normally boosted by impacts from severe floods in Thailand's southern region, climate change and increased demand to substitute more expensive pork consumption.

The Internal Trade Department chief said that her department has also joined forces with local entrepreneurs to launch a three-month blue-flag sale programme countrywide-under which cheaper chicken eggs will be retailed some one million units a day to local consumers at THB3.10-3.20 (US$0.104-$0.107) each, beginning from on Wednesday (Apr 20) in some provinces initially.