Trade and industry minister addresses need for poultry
CAIRO: Egypt eased restrictions on poultry imports imposed amid the bird flu crisis Tuesday, among a raft of measures aimed at lowering the retail price of food ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Whole frozen poultry, frozen eggs and egg powder will be off the list of banned imports, Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohammed Rachid told the official MENA news agency.
The retail price of meat and fish had doubled following the imposition of the import ban. Rachid also announced that import duties on fish and frozen meats, including poultry, would be lifted from mid-July until Dec. 31.
These decisions are aimed at enabling the poultry industry to eventually be fully functional while providing citizens with their meat, fish and dairy needs at reasonable prices in the run-up to the month of Ramadan, said Rachid.
Ramadan, which this year begins in September, sees observant Muslims abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset but traditionally the fast is broken over a large meal with family and friends.
As a result, more food is consumed during Ramadan than during any other month of the Muslim calendar.
Poultry features heavily in the Egyptian diet and supports a huge industry which employs around two million Egyptians
Egypt has reported 14 cases of bird flu in humans, six of them fatal. The last death was reported in May. AFP
