February 9, 2026

THIMPHU – To address an acute egg shortage and rising market prices, the government has approved a one-time import of 3,000 cartons of white eggs from Andhra Pradesh, India, through the Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL).

The eggs are expected to arrive by the end of February and will be sold through FCBL outlets across all 20 dzongkhags.

This is the first egg import since 2022 and only the second since Bhutan imposed restrictions on egg imports in 2008 following outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. The restriction was introduced to protect public health and safeguard the domestic poultry industry from highly contagious diseases that could devastate production.

However, following an acute shortage in the market and a sharp rise in prices, currently ranging between Nu 570 and Nu 600 per tray, the Cabinet approved the import last year as a temporary measure to stabilise prices and ensure affordability.

“All eggs will be imported under strict safety protocols, and only certified eggs will be allowed,” said Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Thinley Namgyel. “The objective is to stabilise prices without compromising food safety or undermining domestic producers.”

The ministry decided to proceed with the import this year after observing no significant improvement in market dynamics despite other interventions. Schools are also opening soon, where a significant number of eggs will be needed for the One Child One Egg Programme, which provides one egg per student in identified schools. The decision to route the import exclusively through FCBL has sparked debate on social media, with many questioning why private traders were not permitted to import eggs.

Addressing these concerns, Secretary Thinley Namgyel said the decision was taken to ensure effective regulation, price monitoring, and food safety.

“This is a one-time, regulated import to address immediate price stabilisation,” he said. “FCBL was selected for ease of monitoring and to ensure eggs are sold at affordable prices through its outlets.”

Allowing unrestricted private imports, he added, would make it difficult to monitor prices and enforce food safety standards, particularly given the small scale of the import.

“We are talking about just one truckload equivalent to 3,000 cartons,” the Secretary said. “If everyone is allowed to import, it becomes impractical. Indian suppliers typically deal in bulk, and sourcing such small quantities through multiple private players is not feasible.”

Food safety was another key consideration.

“The eggs are being sourced only from disease-free, certified poultry farms in Andhra Pradesh,” Thinley Namgyel said. “This is not a case of importing eggs casually across the border. Veterinary certification and strict safety protocols are being strictly followed.”

The imported eggs will be white-shelled, making it easier for consumers and regulators to distinguish them from locally produced brown eggs.

Thinley Namgyel said the import was an emergency measure and did not signal a shift away from the country’s long-standing policy of promoting domestic egg production.

“Any future imports will depend entirely on domestic supply conditions and prevailing market prices,” he said.

Strengthening domestic production

To address the root causes of the shortage, the ministry has focused on strengthening domestic egg production, particularly through the supply of layer day-old chicks (DoCs).

Five Bhutanese private suppliers – Karma Groups, K.K. Livestock Enterprise, Gautam Poultry Equipment, Cypress Valley, and Chengmar DOC Supplier, were identified to import a total of 120,000 DoCs between December 2025 and March 2026.

However, all suppliers reported difficulties in procuring the planned quantities because the numbers were too small for Indian companies that supply DoCs in bulk.

To bridge this gap, government input farms under the Department of Livestock stepped in. So far, these farms have supplied more than 231,000 DoCs to layer farms in 16 dzongkhags, and distribution is continuing.

“As a result of these interventions, egg production is expected to improve by mid-April to May 2026,” Thinley Namgyel said. “We are confident this will address the current shortage and help stabilise the market.”

Disease risks and controlled imports

Thinley Namgyel said that any import of eggs or poultry inputs must be viewed in the broader context of disease risks and market stability, which is why the government continues to exercise strict control over such measures.

“Bird flu is a zoonotic disease and poses serious public health risks,” he said. “Uncontrolled outbreaks can wipe out poultry populations and, in severe cases, transmit to humans, causing severe respiratory illness or death. That is why Bhutan has always taken a cautious approach to imports.”

While the current egg and DoC imports are necessary to ease immediate market pressure, he said they are being carried out in a highly regulated and time-bound manner to prevent disease introduction and market distortion.

“This is not a move toward liberalising egg imports,” he said. “It is a controlled intervention to stabilise prices without undermining domestic farmers or compromising food and health safety.”

Volatile production, fluctuating prices

Poultry farming, particularly egg production, has been one of the success stories of the country’s livestock sector since import restrictions were imposed in 2008.

According to the National Statistics Bureau’s Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Census 2025, about 18,213 households are engaged in poultry farming nationwide. The country has a poultry population of 924,488 birds, producing approximately 98.17 million eggs annually.

Under the 13th Plan, Bhutan has set an ambitious target of producing 120 million eggs.

However, the sector has faced repeated shocks. Since the first outbreak of bird flu in 2010, Bhutan has recorded 19 outbreaks, including the most recent case last month involving backyard poultry in Toorsa, Phuentsholing.

In December 2021, suspected poultry feed contamination further worsened the situation, resulting in the death of 78,672 poultry birds and affecting 485,245 layer birds across 529 households. Daily egg production plunged by 68.4 percent, from 382,490 eggs to just 120,723.

“These repeated shocks have made egg production highly volatile,” Thinley Namgyel said. “In some years, we see oversupply, with prices dropping as low as Nu 190 per tray. In other years, production falls sharply, pushing prices to the current levels.”

The ministry remains confident that ongoing interventions will restore stability and strengthen the resilience of the country’s poultry sector in the coming months.