"Sorry, no imported eggs for me" - Consumers

SHAH ALAM - Consumers being used to eating local chicken eggs in addition to the lower price is one of the factors why they buy fewer imported eggs.

This was based on responses from a Sinar Harian survey in several major supermarkets around the Klang Valley.

An auditor, Mohd Nazreen Suuddi, 31, said he was used to buying local chicken eggs even though it has been difficult to get the supply for the past few months.

"I am used to buying local chicken eggs all this time, so when I see imported eggs of different colours, my initial impression is definitely less interested, and I still want the local ones.

“In addition, the colour is also like a village chicken egg.

"So I prefer to buy local chicken eggs even though most supermarkets only sell Grade C eggs," he said on Friday.

For higher education institution student, Irdina Fadil, 18, imported eggs were foreign to her.

"I am not familiar with these imported eggs, so I do not know what they taste like, unlike the local eggs that I'm used to eating.

"Today (Friday) I saw a lot of eggs for sale because before this, it was really difficult to buy a carton of eggs at any supermarket or grocery store," she said.

Meanwhile, private worker Norehan Ismail, 39, said she chose to buy local chicken eggs because the price was lower than the imported ones.

"Before, it was really hard to even get one carton of chicken eggs. If there are any, you have to buy them early because the eggs in most stores or supermarkets are sold out.

"At the moment, we see a lot of local eggs being sold cheaper than the previous price," she said.

However, many local eggs were sold below the control price according to the grade, namely Grade A at 45 sen per egg, Grade B (43 sen) and Grade C (41 sen) per egg.

Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government would import at least two to 10 million eggs a day starting last Thursday to meet the needs and demands of the local market and to control the price.

He said the amount of egg imports started since Dec 15, with 100,000 eggs imported initially.

The government was examining the need to list imported eggs under controlled goods other than to ensure the price remained affordable.

Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (MAFS) secretary general Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid said the ministry was discussing the requirements with the Domestic Trade and Living Costs Ministry (KPDN).

This was due to the temporary permission given by MAFS on Dec 16 to bring in eggs from foreign sources to cover the lack of egg supply that the country has been facing for the past few months.

"The eggs brought in from outside are (indeed) a little small (in size), but now the role of the ministry (MAFS) is to deal with supply issues and ensure they are available.

"We will also ensure that the imported eggs are of good quality while the KPDN ensures that the price (of imported eggs) is affordable," she told reporters after attending the Northeast Monsoon (MTL) Food Kit Distribution Programme and Chicken Egg Distribution Intervention at the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) headquarters, near here on Friday.

Earlier, Haslina reviewed preparations by Fama to supply 62,500 food and egg kits to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), which will be distributed to victims of the Northeast Monsoon floods in the east coast.

She said the distribution was to fulfill the government's desire to increase supply in helping the affected people.

"We are increasing the supply chain (eggs) to areas that we identified short of egg supplies, in fact, we are increasing the amount to be sent to Kelantan and Terengganu.

"In addition to Nadma, distribution involves the collaboration with the National Farmers' Organisation (Nafas) and the Malaysian Civil Defense Force (APM) to ensure the movement of supplies runs smoothly," he said.

Meanwhile, Fama director general Datuk Zainal Abidin Yang Razalli said the programme was a collaboration with seven egg-producing companies to distribute eggs to the east coast states affected by floods.