June 08, Colombo: The National Livestock Development Board has made arrangements to import 176,000 hatching eggs instead of mother hens to solve the current shortage of chicken meat and eggs in the country.

Chairman of the National Livestock Development Board, Professor H. W. Cyril said that 44,000 eggs per week will be received by the country within a period of one month.

A discussion chaired by Minister of Agriculture, Mahinda Amaraweera was held at the Ministry of Agriculture today (08) regarding the measures to be taken to eliminate the shortage of chicken meat and eggs. Minister of State for Livestock Development D.B. Herath and officials of the ministries participated.

It has been decided to import hatching eggs, as importation of mother hens delays availability of eggs and chicks, and it is easier to get chickens for meat and eggs within a short period of one month, from hatching eggs.

The Minister of Agriculture, Mahinda Amaraweera, instructed the officials to take steps to provide the chicks obtained from this stock of 176,000 hatching eggs imported from the Netherlands at a subsidized price to the private sector poultry farms that were closed during the coronavirus epidemic.

This stock of hatching eggs is to be received in Sri Lanka within the next month.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture has arranged to hold a further discussion with the owners of chicken egg hatchery farms as well as the owners of egg production farms tomorrow (09) at 11 am at the Ministry of Agriculture.