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Scramble for eggs in UAE

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates has been hit hard by shortage of eggs with prices rising. Supplies from two major sources, Saudi Arabia and India, have been banned due to bird flu scare.

With eggs imported from the two countries constituting 50 per cent of the market, the local producers are scrambling to meet the demand. The non-availability of Indian eggs, which were banned four months ago, has added to the problem.

Indian officials told PTI that though the country had been declared as bird-flu free, the UAE was yet to revoke the ban on its eggs and poultry.

A delegation from India, comprising officials of the Agriculture Ministry and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation had pleaded the case with the UAE municipal authorities on lifting the ban.

Among the Gulf countries, only Oman has lifted the ban on Indian eggs and poultry.

Hussain Hassanain, Technical Secretary of the Emirates Poultry Producers’ Association, attributed the present crisis to shortage of local production of about 7.5 million eggs a year.

Eggs are scarce because some suppliers provide only 15 per cent of the regular supply, said an official of the Emke Group, which has 47 supermarkets in the country.

Two popular supermarkets have resorted to rationing of eggs to prevent bulk buying by customers. Carrefour and Lulu Hypermarket are allowing only up to two trays of eggs per customer. — PTI

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Scramble for eggs in UAE

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