The Poultry and Meat Committee at the Egyptian Food Industries Chamber of Commerce voiced criticism of the government’s decision to extend imports of poultry, meat and fish imports to March 2007.
Alaa Radwan, head of the committee, said chicken growers have suffered negative blows from ‘unrestrained’ imports, which however have failed to hold down poultry prices in the local market.
In June, the government allowed private sector importers to bring in frozen poultry, meat and fish to stem the upsurge in prices. Its decision was restricted to 450,000 tons of imports until December 2006.
Sources at the Ministry of Trade and Industry attributed the decision to extend imports to March 2007 to a sharp shortage of these products in the local markets.
Mokhtar Al-Sherif, professor of agro-economics at Al-Mansoura University, said the continued rise in meat and fish prices is due to weak production levels, which has forced the government to import meat from the international markets.
Meat prices have increased as much as 20 percent following the breakout of avian flu early this year in 13 provinces nationwide.
