Oman stops issuing new import permits for eggs, badly affects Tamil Nadu

MUSCAT: Oman has stopped issuing new import permits for Indian chicken eggs. The decision has badly affected Tamil Nadu. Qatar had also recently imposed restrictions on Indian eggs.

DMK MP K R N Rajesh Kumar had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. He urged the Centre to hold talks with Oman and Qatar authorities to resume egg imports from India. While talking to a media, he said that he has requested for meetings with the Oman and Qatar ambassadors in India to discuss the challenges faced by poultry farmers and egg exporters.

P V Senthil, an egg exporter from Namakkal and general secretary of the Livestock and Agri farmers Trade Association (LIFT), said that eggs worth at least Rs 15 crore are stranded due to these restrictions.

Qatar and Oman are two countries that used to export eggs in large quantities from Namakkal. Farmers also said that the tough decision by these Gulf countries has affected their business to a great extent.

They have been facing a crisis for six months. Oman had stopped issuing import permits for eggs in last June. There were several consular-level discussions on the issue. Then in September, imports resumed with strict restrictions. However, they were stopped again yesterday.