Netizens are lamenting the waste of the 250,000 eggs which were reported to have been thrown away due to the nation’s oversupply. While many argued that the food could have been given to the poor and the needy, one hinted at Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing’s recent Facebook post where he publicly acclaimed the nation’s first shipment of eggs from Poland.
According to a report by Mothership, the manager of Kim Hock Egg Distributor recently reported, “We had to throw away 250,000 eggs imported from Thailand two weeks ago, as reluctant as we were,” due to the unfavorable mix of Singapore’s oversupply of eggs and the sharp drop in demand for the poultry product.
Because the Covid-19 pandemic led nations around the world to temporarily close their borders, Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing has stressed the need for the nation to diversify its sources. In light of this, Mr Chan recently took to Facebook to share his excitement over the nation’s first shipment of eggs from Poland.
The effort followed a bilateral trade agreement between the two countries to maintain an openness of trade with each other. Thus, Mr Chan referred to the egg shipment as a “significant milestone.”
Another article by Mothership reported that Singapore gets its eggs from 11 countries–including South Korea, Thailand, and even Ukraine. Poland was a recent addition to the nation’s effort to further diversify its sources, given the changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to world trade.
However, the diversification of imports coupled with the significant drop in egg consumption has created a problem within the nation, as seen in instances such as Kim Hock Egg Distributor’s recent experience.
In response to this news, many netizens lamented the wasted 250,000 eggs–which many argued could have been given to charity. “Why don’t (you) give away 250,000 to someone less fortunate or to the food bank?” asked Facebook user Eddy Wong.
Netizen Daniel Tay, on the other hand, took a more straight-forward approach and wrote, “Seriously? There(‘re) so many charities who are willing to accept and transport them to feed people who are hungry and can’t afford food,” before providing a list of entities that could help feed those in need. Included in his list were SG Food Rescue, Free Food for All, and The Food Bank Singapore.
Another, Facebook user made reference to Mr Chan’s recent post on eggs from Poland, and asked, “Why was someone so proud of importing eggs from Poland?” /TISG