JAKARTA - Indonesia has begun destroying millions of chicken eggs to stem the decline in prices of live poultry, an Indonesian official said on Monday.


"There is an oversupply of chickens and we are trying to reduce it," said Sugiono, director of the animal husbandry department at the Agriculture Ministry. Owners of poultry farms are destroying fertilized eggs that are ready for hatching by the Ministry of Agriculture


The government expects to destroy a total of 10 million hatchery eggs in the coming weeks. Sugiyono said the policy would be reviewed every two weeks


Live bird prices have fallen to as much as 9,000 rupees (less than $ 1) per kilogram, compared with 19,000 rupees earlier this year, according to the Indonesian Poultry Dealers Association.

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Hundreds of poultry farmers are planning a protest in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta tomorrow for government action

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He said: «We will launch 600 live chickens at no cost as a form of protest against the government for its inability to solve the problem».