Eggs from China sent in huge quantities to markets in Kachin State, northern Burma are giving residents, who own poultry, sleepless nights. Small poultry farm owners, who sell eggs in markets in towns in Kachin State, are worried because their business is severely hit.

"Import of eggs from China to Kachin State has led to prices of local eggs falling. We can't make any profit," said a resident who sells local eggs in the market in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

Eggs from China are imported from the Sino-Burma border. Earlier these eggs were mixed with the local eggs and sold in all the towns in Kachin State, he added.

With the Chinese eggs mixed with the local eggs, the residents did not know which was local and which ones were from China, a resident said.

The price of an egg is between 95 and 98 kyats and eggs from China are sold for less. If local eggs are sold at par with the eggs from China poultry owners are not likely to benefit, a local egg distributor told KNG.

"We cannot sell our eggs at a price, which is lower than eggs from China because poultry feed is expensive as is the electricity charges in our poultry farms. If we sell our eggs at a price lower than eggs from China, we will not make any profit," he said.

The huge entry of eggs from China in Kachin State is also causing anxiety because we have to worry about H5N1 or bird flu virus. The Burmese military government has done thing to stop eggs entering from the border.