Nutrition value: Eggs necessary for complete diet, experts say

Country’s rural population, in particular, needs to improve nutrition

RAWALPINDI: Experts on Friday recommended increased consumption of eggs to meet nutrition needs.

They were speaking at a seminar organised by Poultry Research Institute Rawalpindi to mark the World Egg Day, said a press release.

The day, which is being celebrated on second Friday of every October since 1996, aims to raise public awareness of daily consumption of eggs.

“The consumption of eggs in Pakistan is much less than it is in the developed countries. In Pakistan, an individual consumes 80 eggs per year on average as compared to 300 to 400 eggs consumed by an individual in developed countries,” the release said.

The seminar was addressed by Director Poultry Research Institute Dr Abdul Rehman, Convener Pakistan Poultry Association Khalil Malik and former DG Livestock and Dairy Production Department Dr Bashir Mehmud Bhatti.

Rehman said that Pakistan’s rural population needed nutrition improvement. Efforts were being made to improve poultry sector, particularly in the rural areas. He said Pakistan can be a good poultry products exporter for Middle East and Afghanistan. He said every individual in rural and urban areas of Pakistan should consume two eggs daily in all seasons because egg was not only a complete diet but adulteration in egg is not possible. It was a pure and complete diet.

Khalil Malik said that the poultry sector was growing at 8 to 10 per cent annually which was an encouraging sign. He said the agriculture sector was also benefitting from the development of poultry sector. He said 1.5 million people are associated with the poultry sector in Pakistan directly and indirectly.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2014.