Egg Day: Pakistanis eat 67 eggs a year each

Eggs are important element of a healthy diet: seminar.

LAHORE:

The average Pakistani eats 67 eggs per year, about a fifth of the number of eggs consumed per person per year in developed countries (350) and less than India (92), said University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Faculty of Fisheries and Wildlife Dean Prof Muhammad Akram on Friday.

He was speaking at a seminar, titled ‘Egg as a Healthy Diet’, in connection with World Egg Day at UVAS. India produces 2,740,000 million eggs per year, while Pakistan produces 12,800 million, he said.

UVAS Faculty of Animal Production and Technology Dean Prof Talat Naseer Pasha said that the university was building close ties with the poultry industry to improve production.

He said there was a dire need to establish a ‘poultry club’ to uplift the sector and increase egg production.

Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) North Zone Chairman Dr Arshad Hanif said that the association had organised seminars and workshops at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Poultry Research Institute Rawalpindi, and in Karachi and Multan in connection with Egg Day. He said that eggs promote healthy hair and nails because they contain sulphur and a wide array of vitamins and minerals.

UVAS Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Nawaz said that said that eggs were a cheap source of vitamins and minerals. The body needs proteins to repair damaged cells and to build new ones, he said.

“Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to foetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects, eyesight loss and heart attacks,” he said. Eggs may also prevent blood clots and strokes, he added.

The seminar was held in collaboration with the Pakistan Poultry Association and Alltech.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2011.