Sri Lankans yet to savour Johnny’s imported chicks, eggs

The first shipment of chicken and eggs that arrived in the Colombo harbour last Friday (24) had not been distributed to retail outlets even by Monday (27).

The shipment consisting of 500 metric tonnes of chicken and 5 million eggs which were meant to ease the shortage and also stabilise prices were brought in a big hurry to be distributed before Christmas.

By Shezna Shums

Unfortunately they are still in the port awaiting clearance. When the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade was contacted yesterday evening, its Media Secretary Nipun Ekanayake said that approval was still being awaited following the inspection of the cargo. Ekanayake told the Daily FT that the first item to be immediately released and sent to the shops would be two million eggs.

This is the first batch of chicken and eggs to arrive in the country, out of a total of 2500 metric tonnes of chicken and 50 million eggs.

Chicken can be kept for six months in cold storage and eggs can be stored for up to three months. The rest of the chicken and eggs to be imported will be kept as buffer stock and only released into the market when there is a shortage.

Although both the chicken and eggs are being got down from India the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade,  whose Minister is Johnston Fernando, would not divulge the total cost of this exercise.

The shipment that is in the habour was expected to arrive by the middle of last week; but was delayed due to bad weather conditions around the port of Tuticorin in South India from where it was to be shipped.

The Ministry is also looking at importing five million coconuts from Kerala while wholesalers were instructed to import big onions from Pakistan.

Meanwhile officials at the Customs Department when contacted regarding this sea freight shipment currently at the Colombo port claimed they had not come across any documentation relating to a shipment of 500 metric tonnes of chicken and 5 million eggs.

Perishable items would normally have their importation clearing documentations ready at least one day before the stock arrived.

Nevertheless, in emergencies perishable items can be cleared without Customs declaration on a special approval.

The Customs officials did appear perplexed over the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade’s shipment of chicken and eggs.

Shipments of perishable items such as these would have to be inspected and approved by health inspectors before being released.