South Korea said Wednesday it plans to import more eggs this month in a bid to stabilize prices of eggs that have shot up amid the outbreak of bird flu here.

The country will import some 24 million eggs after the Lunar New Year holiday, set for Feb. 11-14, ends, as it seeks to ease a potential shortage of the egg supply, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The ministry earlier said the country will import 20 million eggs and distribute them before the holiday.

Affected by the outbreak of avian influenza, prices of eggs soared 15.2 percent on-year in January, the fastest since March 2020. Bird flu has ravaged chicken farms across the nation since November last year.

The country temporarily removed tariffs on imported egg products on Jan. 28 in an effort to ease a supply shortage caused by the outbreak of bird flu.

Local firms are allowed to import a total of 50,000 tons of fresh eggs and seven other types of egg products without tariffs until June 30. (Yonhap)