And again the egg question

As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration, a memorandum of cooperation was signed last Monday between it, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Union of Poultry Farmers, the Association of Egg Producers and the Union of Retail Networks. The document provides for a number of obligations for all market participants.

Poultry farms are obliged to keep selling prices at a stable level, not allowing sharp jumps. Retail chains agree to observe the maximum markup and not to charge additional payments for the sale of products. “And the Ministry of Agriculture will consider the issue of introducing restrictions on the import of food eggs in order to protect local producers,” the Ministry of Trade said in a statement.

In addition, control over so-called grey imports will be strengthened, and illegally imported eggs will be removed from circulation.

By the way, in the spring of 2024, Kazakhstan already introduced a temporary ban on the import of eggs for six months. At that time, it concerned imports by road from the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and third countries. The ban was due to a seasonal decline in demand: in the spring and summer, the market is fully covered by local production and households. The Ministry of Agriculture then explained that due to the decline in demand, prices were falling, which had a negative impact on poultry farms.

The current decision to introduce a ban on the export of eggs has not yet been made, but discussions are actively underway.

Togzhan GANI, photo by Vladimir ZAIKIN, Astana