KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said that only one company was permitted to import eggs from India to remedy the supply shortage last year.

In a Parliamentary written reply, he said that the government awarded the special permit to the company starting in December last year and will end in June this year.

"So far, only one company has been given permission based on the application and proposal received from the company.

"The company was given permission to import eggs from India based on their experience in bringing eggs from India to Qatar to meet the needs of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

"With the company’s ability to deliver eggs in a short time, the Ministry has agreed to grant special import approval for a period of 6 months starting December 2022,” he said.

He said that the grade of the eggs was classified as "medium” in India and grade D here in Malaysia.

Mohamad was responding to a question from Perikatan Nasional (PN) Tasik Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan who asked about the status of imported eggs from India.

He said that on average, Malaysia needs 11.6 billion seeds per year for domestic needs with an average consumption rate of 968 million seeds per month.

"Therefore, this production record clearly shows that egg production is sufficient for domestic needs every year and there is a surplus that allows Malaysia to export eggs abroad,” he added.