Egg producers in the South, mainly Namakkal, are unperturbed by the ban imposed by Oman on Indian poultry products after the bird flu outbreak in Bangalore.

According to industry sources, business is usual with negligible/lesser impact on the export front and with Kerala lifting its ban, the trade remains unruffled.

“Now that Kerala has lifted the ban and we are seeing a good consumption in the North, we are least affected by the ban on export front,” said a spokesperson of the National Egg Coordination Committee, Namakkal Zone.

This is the second time this year that Oman has banned import of eggs from India.

The West Asian country accounts for 33 per cent of eggs exported.

He said on a daily basis, at least 10 lakh eggs were being shipped to Oman.

“But Kerala is the second biggest market by consuming close to 1.2 crore eggs of a total production of 3.5 crore eggs a day. Also, with the festival season demand in place, we can offset the losses caused by the ban,” he added.

On Monday, the Namakkal Zonal Committee of NECC, cut the wholesale egg price by 15 paise to Rs 3 a piece.

“This rate cut is to clear the piling up of stocks caused by the Kerala’s ban. But we will raise the prices at least by 10-25 paise tomorrow,” the NECC spokesman told Business Line .

Egg trade sources said the resurfacing of bird flu incidents will not impact the Namakkal market, which is far removed from the affected poultry zone.

Exports, however, continue to other markets such as the Maldives, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and the African nations.

>gayathri.gururajan@thehindu.co.in

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