Haiti experiencing massive egg and chicken shortages

11-01-2008 | | |

Haiti is experiencing food shortages due to the ban on poultry imports from the Dominican Republic. Also, concerns regarding prices have been stressed.

Haitian officials declared the ban this week, which follows 115 Dominican chickens tested positive for a strain of avian flu.

Egg prices at the market in Port-au-Prince’s La Saline district sky rocketed to 25%. Buyers and merchants at the stalls at the outdoor market are concerned that supplies could soon run out.

“What are we going to do now? This is what I make a living from, this is what I use to send my kids to school,” said Chantal Louisius, who normally sells eggs that her husband buys at the Dominican border.

Imports from Dominican Republic
Haiti imports at least 1 million eggs and hundreds of thousands of chickens from the Dominican Republic daily, said Jolivier Toussaint, director of imports for the Haitian agriculture ministry.

The outbreak was detected last month in the eastern Dominican Republic when fighting roosters awaiting export to Colombia were tested and was discovered to be carrying the H5N2 strain of avian flu, which is not a danger to humans.

According to Toussaint, the ban will be lifted when Dominican authorities are confident the flu strain has been contained.

For the latest news via email, click here…

Join 31,000+ subscribers

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about all the need-to-know content in the poultry sector, three times a week.
Worldpoultry





Beheer