India ships two million eggs to Sri Lanka

To ensure food security in the crisis-hit island nation, India has exported two million eggs to Sri Lanka.

The Trade Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr Nalin Fernando, told Parliament that the shipment, imported by the State Trading General Corporation, had arrived and the stocks would be released in the market soon.

The decision to import eggs was based on a decision by a cabinet committee to ensure food security, Fernando said.

 In January when the market shortages were noticed, the Animal Production and Health Department declined to approve the import of eggs from India or Pakistan as both countries reported bird-flu outbreaks in the past six months.

Director General of the Health Department Himali Kotelawala had said that the country of origin of eggs must be free of bird flu for at least six months. “India had recently experienced severe outbreaks of bird flu, so importing eggs from India is contrary to the Animal Health Disease Act in Sri Lanka. The Import and Export Controller General cannot be allowed to import eggs from India”, she told reporters then.