Eggs are something we buy all the time. They are becoming one of the most profitable things that Pakistan sells to other countries. Starting an egg export business does not cost a lot of money. It is easy to find eggs in Pakistan. The people who buy eggs from countries want to buy more and more so the people who sell eggs can make a good profit. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about exporting eggs, including what kinds of eggs to export, how much to charge for them how to pack them what papers you need and how to ship them.
Why Exporting Eggs Is A Good Business
Exporting eggs is a business because it is not very hard to do and it does not take a lot of money or things to get started. Eggs are easy to find in Pakistan. It is not hard to find people who want to buy them. People in countries always want to buy eggs so there is always someone to sell them to. Unlike some things that Pakistan exports eggs are easy to get from local farms and can be shipped with just a few simple tools and boxes. Egg export is a business opportunity for people who want to start exporting things because eggs are available in almost every city, in Pakistan and egg export offers a comfortable profit margin.
Types of Eggs Exported from Pakistan
People usually think that only chicken eggs are exported from Pakistan.. The truth is that Pakistan exports many kinds of eggs. These include:
- Chicken eggs
- Duck eggs
- Caviar and fish roe
- Goose eggs
- Turkey eggs
- Herring fish eggs
- Ostrich eggs
- Quail eggs
Chicken eggs are the most exported because they are easy to find and buy in quantities. The other types of eggs are available in the market. They are harder to get all the time. So chicken eggs are a starting point for people who want to export eggs from Pakistan.
Varieties and Export Description
When we talk about chicken eggs exporters usually send three types:
- Table eggs. These are regular eggs that people eat every day
- Hatching eggs. These eggs are meant to be hatched and used for breeding
- White shell eggs. These eggs have shells and are in demand in other countries
On the export papers exporters write exactly what type of eggs they are sending. For example they might write “white table eggs” or “hatching eggs“. Eggs are not exported in their shells. Liquid egg and frozen egg paste are also sent to countries. These forms are cheaper to prepare for export because they do not need packaging and labels. The code used for this is 04071.
Profit Margin in the Egg Export Business
One of the things about exporting eggs is the profit margin. It is usually between 50% and 70%. This means that for every egg exported the exporter can make a lot of money. Even if the profit margin is 50% it is still very good for an export business. Eggs are a lucrative product, for people who want to export them and are willing to work hard.
Top Countries Importing Eggs from Pakistan
Pakistan mainly sends eggs to six places:
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Saudi Arabia
- Afghanistan
- Hong Kong
- Kazakhstan
- Oman
Some smaller amounts go to other countries but these six places take most of the eggs that Pakistan sends out. If you are thinking about getting into this business these countries should be your focus when looking for buyers because the need for eggs in these places is already there and it keeps happening.
Why Is International Demand So High?
It makes sense to think that countries that have their chicken farming industries wouldn’t need to bring in eggs. But the need is still very high because eggs are used in many more industries than most people know about. In addition to the uses in baking and food eggs are also used in:
- Cosmetic products, like hair conditioners
- Leather cleaning products
- Glue making
- Chemical products
- Face masks and skin care creams
- Fertilizers
- Shoe polish and similar items
Because the local egg production in many of these countries can’t keep up with all of this industrial use they depend a lot on importing eggs. Which is exactly why eggs from Pakistan are always, in demand overseas.
International and Local Egg Prices
The price of eggs is different in places.. On average one egg can cost around 22 rupees when you buy it from a local shop. If you buy eggs in bulk it will be cheaper. Now if we look at countries the price of eggs is very different.
- UAE: the price of one egg is around 165 to 195 rupees
- Saudi Arabia: the price of one egg is around 1 to 10 rupees when you buy in bulk
- Afghanistan: the price of one egg is around 145 to 155 rupees
These prices are not exact. Can change based on the market. So people who export eggs need to check the prices every day to know how much they can sell their eggs for.
Market Size and Growth
Pakistan exported eggs around 1.5 billion rupees in just three months. The demand for eggs is increasing every year 10 to 20 percent. This means that exporting eggs is a business and it will keep growing. So people who want to export eggs should start their business in the way.
Investment Required to Start Exporting Eggs
If you want to export eggs you need to invest at 2 million rupees to start. This money will be used to buy a container to carry the eggs. You also need to pay for the transportation of the eggs, which can be expensive because eggs need to be kept cold. There are also small expenses, like packaging and paperwork.
Packing Requirements Handling a Fragile Product
Eggs are really fragile so the way we pack them is very important. It is also the expensive part of sending eggs to other countries. This is how we usually pack eggs:
- We print the date the eggs were made. The date they expire right on the egg. We use a machine to do this.
- We put the eggs in trays. Each tray can hold 30 eggs.
- We put 12 trays in one carton. So each carton has 360 eggs.
- Sometimes we stack the trays on top of each other. Wrap them in bubble wrap before we put them in cartons. We do this if the buyer asks for it.
- A big container can usually hold 500 to 520 cartons. That is a lot of eggs. The exact number depends on the size of the cartons. What the buyer wants.
- The cartons we use are very important. Stronger cartons are better because they protect the eggs during shipping. These cartons cost money but they are worth it.
Weight Requirements
To be able to send eggs to countries they usually need to weigh between 52 and 55 grams. This is not a rule that everyone follows. It is what most buyers expect. If our eggs weigh this much we are more likely to get orders from these buyers again. Eggs are products and we need to make sure they are packed carefully to prevent them from breaking during shipping. Packing eggs is a part of the export process for fragile products, like eggs.
Documents Needed to Export Eggs
To export eggs you need to have some papers. There are five documents that you will need:
- Invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of Origin
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Bill of Lading
The person buying the eggs from you might need some papers. These can include:
- Quality certificates, which you can get from labs like Quality Lab or SGS
- Inspection certificates, which you can get from companies like SGS or Bureau Veritas
- Fumigation certificate, which you only need if you use pallets to pack the eggs
Where to Get Eggs to Export
Getting eggs to export is pretty easy. Eggs come from farms that raise chickens. In places in Pakistan you can find these farms nearby. It is an idea to find farms that already know how to supply eggs to other countries. These farms know how to pack the eggs and follow the rules. If you work with a farm that has experience they can help you with a lot of things. They can pack the eggs load them and even find them for you. This means you can focus on things like getting the eggs to the buyer and building a relationship, with them.
Finding Buyers
When you know what the product is and how it will be packaged and shipped the next big thing is to find people who want to buy it from countries. This is not as hard as it seems if you use the ways to get in touch with people and keep working on your marketing. You should focus on the six countries that import things.
The Complete Egg Export Process: 4 Key Steps
Step 1: Preparation for Export
This is where you set up your business. You need to:
- Register your business
- Get your ATN
- Register for sales tax
- Join the Chamber of Commerce
- Register with PSW
- Make a business website
Having a good website is really important. When people from countries want to buy something they usually look at the sellers website before they respond. If the website is not good or if there is no information, about the business many buyers will not even talk to you. If you have a registration certificate and a good website it makes a first impression and shows that you are a real and serious seller. Finding buyers is the step after you have done all this. Finding buyers is what you need to do to sell your product to countries.
Step 2: Ready for Export
Now that your business is officially registered this step is about getting into the market: finding customers, running promotions handling messages making deals and processing orders.
Step 3: Documentation
Once an order is confirmed and the payment conditions are settled (could be advance payment, a Letter of Credit or a partial deal) it is time to get your documents ready:
- Create the invoice and the packing list
- Ask your bank to create an FI (Foreign Inward remittance certificate)
- Talk to a freight forwarder to get a CR (Cargo Receipt) and schedule the shipment. Or work with a customs clearing agent who can take care of everything, including the Bill of Lading, Certificate of Origin and phytosanitary certificate
Using a clearing agent can make things much easier because they take care of the bookings, customs clearance and all the paperwork for you.
Step 4: Shipment
When the documents are ready you will work directly with your agent:
- Tell the agent the date you will be loading the goods so they can arrange for an empty container to arrive at your place
- For LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments the goods can be loaded onto a truck and sent, with the agent handling the rest
- Once the goods are loaded, give the shipment to the agent, who will manage customs clearance and give you the Bill of Lading, Certificate of Origin and phytosanitary certificate
Payment and Document Handling
How you deal with the final documents depends on the payment terms you have:
- Advance payment: Send all the original documents directly to the buyer using a courier service like DHL
- Letter of Credit (LC): The documents go through the bank
- Partial payment (like 50% up front and 50% when the documents arrive): Send a scanned copy of the Bill of Lading to the buyer once it is ready; when they finish the second half of the payment send the original documents
It is important to keep copies of all the shipping documents, for your own records and to give them to your bank. This helps you later. Banks keep track of the advance payments they made and having proof that the shipment was completed and documented can help you avoid problems if records get mixed up on.
Final Thoughts
Exporting eggs from Pakistan is one of the export businesses that exist today. The product is easy to get profit margins are good and demand in the Middle East and nearby markets keeps increasing. Success, in this business depends on doing the things right: registering the business properly gaining the trust of buyers by having a professional website understanding the delicate packaging needs and keeping everything organized with the papers needed at each step of sending the goods.
