E-Paper
Sign In
iPhone | iPad
Android
Tue, Oct 15, 2024 | Rabi al-Thani 12, 1446 | DXB
°C
Great eggspectations: A visit to a poultry farm in Dubai reveals interesting facts
The current UAE local production of table eggs, from modern farms, is estimated around 616 million eggs per annum, which relatively covers about 45 per cent of the UAE’s demand for eggs.
- By
- Nivriti Butalia/senior Reporter
Earlier this week, Al Ghurair Foods, a company with an annual turnover of Dh2 billion, organised a media trip to the Al Jabal poultry farm (part of the same group) at Kadra in Ras Al Khaimah, at the foothills of the Masafi mountains.
Know the eggs
Recommended For You
> UAE’s annual egg consumption is estimated at 2 billion (2,000,000,000) and with a price tag of Dh.50 per piece, this translates to Dh1 billion worth of egg sale in the UAE retail market.
> UAE is among the lowest egg-consuming countries.
> About 60 per cent of the UAE’s egg consumption is imported from foreign countries.
> Al Jabal Poultry Farm, part of Al Ghurair Foods, produces 200 million eggs — 25 per cent of the 800 million produced in the UAE and 10 per cent of the 2 billion eggs consumed per year.
Usually people and vehicles aren’t allowed into the farm for fear of infecting the chickens. When we reached the farm, the bus we were travelling in got bombarded with a disinfectant spray. No chances are taken with threats of disease, airborne or carried in by humans.
We saw the farm. (Employs 85 people). We saw the poultry. (Eighty five per cent of the company’s revenue comes from these eggs; remaining 15 per cent from the sale of chicken, chicken waste, and fertiliser processed from manure). We even received egg samples — a tray of six nicely packaged in yellow and black. What we didn’t see were the 1.2 million hens that lay 600,000 eggs per day and 200 million a year. Can’t be too careful about salmonella and avian flu.
"Chicken farmer" Graham Frankitt, more officially the Poultry Farm Manager at Al Ghurair Foods, said: “People in the UAE don’t eat enough eggs. There are 24 billion chickens worldwide. And people in UAE consume fewer eggs than in the rest of the world. Here it’s 134 eggs per person per year. But in Mexico it’s 334.”
Roughly one of every four eggs produced in the Emirates comes from these farms. A few years ago, in 2012, the Ministry of Environment and Water had stated: “The current UAE local production of table eggs, from modern farms, is estimated around 616 million eggs per annum, which relatively covers about 45 per cent of the UAE’s demand for eggs. In accordance to the estimate, the country needs to increase the production capacity of local farms to reach self-sufficiency”.
Supermarket eggs
There are, of course, other local egg farms, their produce well-represented on the refrigerated shelves at co-operative stores and supermarkets, Carrefour and Spinneys. But that doesn’t change the fact that 60 per cent of the UAE’s egg consumption is imported from foreign countries. Khaleej Times contacted Al Jazira poultry farms, Al Ain farms and Arabian Farms Development Co but got no response.
So even though for bio-security reasons we couldn’t get a peek inside the 21 blue sheds, six of which raise chickens and 15 are the layer sheds, we did see some white feathers fluttering about. And there were a handful of model chickens squawking about in a makeshift coop for disappointed photographers to aim their lenses at. However, lots of egg-y info was bandied out. For example, the hatchery is in Abu Dhabi, and grandparents of the chickens are in Germany.
Go local
At this farm the manure is recycled and made into fertiliser. Al Ghurair has invested heavily in bio-filter projects that cuts down ammonia emissions by 95 per cent — that is from 97.54 metric tonnes a year to 188 kilograms a year. A pack of 6 Jenan eggs costs Dh4.50. Fifteen eggs are for Dh9.50. And a tray of thirty eggs is Dh17. The Omega eggs — from chickens fed flax seed — are more expensive. Six eggs for Dh7.50, 15 for Dh17.50 and so on. And these are sold in Carrefour and Lulu and Geant and Union Coop, and in some other co-operative stores across the Emirates.
It makes sense to support local poultry farms. The eggs are fresher. The food miles are minimal. Your carbon footprint is lower. On so many levels it makes more sense to eat eggs laid in RAK or Al Ain or anywhere else in the Emirates rather than picking up an expensive green carton of eggs laid especially in Ireland or France, that are then flown/shipped down here, and have a three month shelf life. Sources who don’t want to be quoted tell us, it’s well know that western countries are happy to dump old eggs in the UAE, because they know they’ll get sold, and the company will make at least some money off the export.
Cheap vs fresh
In many cases, local producers can’t compete with the export market, because often the imported eggs — from Saudi Arabia, for example — will be cheaper, because of the subsidies there that don’t exist in some of the Emirates. Next time you pick up eggs, read the label, know where they’re laid, how travelled they are, how exposed to temperature fluctuations - eggs sweat, you know. And do a favour to the environment, the local farmer and to yourself: buy eggs produced at any of the UAE farms. They’ll taste better.
Sign Up For Breaking News Alerts
Be in the know. Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
