COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will import one million eggs daily from five chicken farms in India to meet its growing market demand, the crisis-hit island nation's top importing agency said on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka State Trading Corporation (STC) Chairman Asiri Valisundara said that 20 million eggs were imported from India, of which 10 million have been released to the market.
The eggs were being imported from two chicken farms in India, and the Animal Production Department has additionally approved the purchase of eggs from three other farms, Valisundara was quoted as saying by the Colombo Page news portal.
STC Chairman Walisundara said it has been decided to import one million eggs daily from five chicken farms in India.
He said that permission was received to import eggs from three more farms according to the report given by the three officials of the Animal Production Department and the State Trading Corporation who visited poultry farms in India.
The further import of eggs is based on market demand, Valisundara said, the News First TV station reported.
He added that the imported eggs would be released to bakeries, biscuit manufacturers, catering services and restaurants at a price of SLR 35 each, the report said.
Sri Lanka has been facing a severe and unprecedented economic crisis since last year.
The high inflation has eroded purchasing power, and the livelihoods of many people have been affected, and past development gains have been reversed.
The island nation is struggling to normalise its crisis-hit economy after it declared its first-ever debt default in April last year.