In a statement, Mohamad said this would be a short-term strategy to ensure there is enough supply of eggs in the domestic market.

He said chicken eggs were the most popular protein source for Malaysians, with 968 million chicken eggs consumed every month.

Mohamad said his ministry would also ensure that imported eggs were free of diseases, with importers adhering to set procedures, “with zero compromises”.

He also assured local egg producers that the ministry did not intend to pressure them to import eggs.

Instead, he said the ministry wanted to make sure that there are no disruptions to the domestic egg supply.

“The need to import the eggs from foreign sources will be reviewed once the supply of chicken eggs has stabilised,” he added.

Mohamad said the ministry’s secretary-general had been tasked with studying the impact of imports on the local egg industry.

Agrobank has also been asked to come up with suggestions to help suppliers and smallholders remain competitive in the egg industry, he added.