Both the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA) announced yesterday they were lifting the ban on the import of chicken, eggs and frozen poultry products from Saudi Arabia.

According to Qatar News Agency, the committee responsible for monitoring the import of foodstuff at the NHA met yesterday and decided to remove the ban following a World Health Organization (WHO) report that Saudi Arabia was free from avian flu.

Likewise, the MMAA lifted the ban on the import of chicken from the Kingdom, the QNA said.

Since Saudi Arabia was a large supplier of eggs, chicken and poultry products, including frozen chicken, the ban on imports from there led to severe shortages, market sources told this newspaper yesterday.

"Saudi Arabia is a large producer of poultry and its products and since we get the supplies almost the same day or the next day, transport costs work out cheaper as compared to those from other foreign destinations," a shopkeeper said.

For example, Saudi eggs were selling in wholesale for QR110 per carton (360 eggs) here before the import restrictions were introduced. Qatari eggs were also selling for almost the same price since there were no shortages.

Source: The Peninsula