Mohamad said the company had been given a special permit to import eggs from India for six months beginning last December based on its ability to deliver in a short period of time.

“The company was given permission based on its experience bringing eggs from India to Qatar to meet demand during the 2022 Fifa World Cup,” he said in a parliamentary reply.

He was responding to a question from Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasik Gelugor) on which companies had approved permits (AP) to import eggs from India and the duration of the permits.

Mohamad said the move to import eggs from India was a temporary measure to meet demand.

“Each consignment must undergo a Hold Test Release (HTR) test upon arrival to ensure it is free of pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), Newcastle disease (ND) and salmonella,” he said.

Wan Saiful also asked for the total number of eggs produced locally between 2018 and February this year.

Mohamad said 13.4 billion eggs were produced in 2018, 10.9 billion in 2019, 12.9 billion in 2020, 13.6 billion in 2021 and 13.3 billion in 2022.

In the first two months of this year, he said, 2.4 billion eggs were produced.

“On average, Malaysia needs 11.6 billion eggs per year to meet domestic demand, with an average consumption of 968 million eggs monthly,” he said.

“The production record clearly shows it is sufficient for domestic needs every year and there is a surplus for Malaysia to export abroad.”