The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted a ban on the import of eggs and other poultry products from India. The move follows an assurance by New Delhi that it would follow biosafety norms set by the World Organization for Animal Health to prevent infection from bird flu.
India will be able to export table eggs, hatching eggs and day-old chicks to the UAE “from two establishments in Tamil Nadu,” officials said. Poultry imports from India were banned for at least five years due to concerns over bird flu. India had sought market access for eggs under the trade pact it is negotiating with the UAE.
The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and bilateral trade was almost $60 billion in FY20. It was India’s second-largest export destination after the US, with an export value of around $29 billion.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to announce the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), India’s first in the Gulf region, during his proposed visit. “Besides goods trade, the pact is of strategic importance for India, and we can gain in services and investments and also seek long-term business visas with the UAE,” the official said.