The government will subsidize the import of millions of eggs to ensure no shortage will be experienced as the nation gears up for Passover, which starts Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.
Demand typically surges 20% ahead of the seven-day long holiday. This year, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the clamor for eggs has reached a boiling point as shoppers have stripped supermarket shelves bare.
The Agriculture Ministry announced last week it will also increase its quota of duty-free imports for an additional 100 million eggs.
To ensure the eggs arrive prior to Passover and compete with increasing demand in other countries, the Agriculture and Finance ministries said they have taken the exceptional move to persuade shipping companies to change their routes, enabling both greater and faster imports.
“It was found that the most effective solution, which makes it highly likely that eggs will arrive in Israel before Passover, is to change the routes of ships already planning to bring eggs to Israel, in collaboration with the relevant shipping companies, and loading double the number of eggs on board,” the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Israelis experienced a butter shortage, making this the second time a food staple was not readily available to consumers.