Kuwait Poultry Industry Threatened by Lack of Support

In response to a statement made by Abdulaziz Al-Samhan, president of the Union of Cooperative Societies, to *Al-Watan* regarding the union’s refusal to allow local egg-producing companies to raise egg prices, poultry industry consultant Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Fraih said, “I was very surprised by the statement from the president of the Union of Cooperative Societies, who is primarily responsible for food sales throughout Kuwait.” Al-Fraih clarified in his response to Al-Samhan that all reports, articles, and interviews in daily newspapers, especially Al-Watan, clearly illustrate the alarming rise in global feed prices and their impact on all meat and protein products, especially eggs. He noted that in 2008, corn prices were 30 dinars and soybeans 70 dinars, whereas now corn prices have risen to 100 dinars and soybean prices to 250 dinars, while the price of a plate of eggs in 2008 was one dinar and remains at the same price to this day. He added that the president of the Federation of Associations threatened to resort to direct imports and support importers by eliminating profit margins and covering import expenses, and that he is required to assist local egg production companies by providing this support, committing to immediate payment, and not demanding free goods, and the breakage rate, supporting the association and providing Umrah tickets, not buying from middlemen, and committing to direct purchases from production companies. He noted that with these simple steps, you will obtain prices competitive with any price from anywhere in the world. Do not forget that when importing, you must pay in advance and before the goods arrive, which costs you additional amounts. Al-Fraih added in his response to Al-Samhan that your request to obtain imported eggs of the same quality grade or better than local production indicates your lack of knowledge regarding Gulf, Arab, and international specifications for the classification of fresh eggs, noting that the text of Gulf Standard Specifications (6/1/1/4) uses the term “Excellent” – “fresh”—on packaging containing first-grade eggs, provided that the word “excellent” is removed three days after the packing date by marketing and retail centers. Furthermore, (6/1/5) stipulates that transportation and distribution must be in refrigerated or thermally insulated containers, with the temperature not exceeding 10°C, which means it is impossible to import fresh or “excellent” eggs even if the shipment were transported by rocket. Therefore, I advise the Union of Cooperative Societies to support the poultry industry in Kuwait and assist them in all aspects. He emphasized that assistance in this regard includes monitoring feed prices and adjusting them according to the price of incoming feed, holding regular meetings to discuss all issues, and implementing methods for direct payment of purchases so that producers can buy the necessary feed, as well as cooperating with the Ministry of Commerce and the Agriculture Authority to support Feed at prices affordable to consumers and requesting the milling company to purchase soybeans in bulk and ship them by vessel for distribution to producers, which contributes to lowering feed prices, in addition to the importance of helping egg and poultry producers expand their farms and obtain soft loans, stressing that the poultry industry, without direct and indirect support, willcome to a standstill, and it is not easy to obtain fresh eggs from abroad at any price.