Iran exported 13,000 tons of chicken eggs during the first three months of the current Iranian year (March 20-June 20), which indicates a 46% drop compared to last year’s corresponding period, the head of the board of directors at Tehran’s Union of Producers of Egg-Laying Chicken said. Some 95% of Iran’s eggs are exported to Iraq, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, Mehr News Agency reported. Trade in this field is limited to neighboring countries since eggs cannot travel long distances. The drop in exports is attributed in part to a ban imposed by the Iraqi Agriculture Ministry’s Veterinary Directorate on imports from Iran back in March following a bird flu breakout in Iran’s northern Mazandaran Province. Shipments, however, resumed in late April after the containment of the disease. Moreover, Egg exports took a beating in April after Turkey entered regional markets. Iran exports between 50,000 and 60,000 tons of eggs annually while more than 850,000 tons of the product are consumed domestically. Production currently stands at 950,000 tons, which leaves a surplus of 100,000 tons.
