RN Desk: The Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) celebrated World Egg Day 2025 with colorful festivities. The event was organized by BLRI’s Poultry Research Center and funded by the Poultry Research and Development Strengthening Project, featuring a series of day-long programs.

At 3:30 p.m., a vibrant rally was held, led by BLRI’s Director General, Dr. Shakila Faruq. Officials from the Department of Livestock Services, various government and non-government institutions, researchers, officers, and employees joined the rally. It started from the premises of the Poultry Research Center and paraded through the institute’s internal roads. Afterward, eggs were distributed among pedestrians and underprivileged people near the Poultry Production Research Division gate.

At 4:00 p.m., a seminar and discussion meeting were held in the conference room on the 4th floor of the BLRI building. Dr. Shakila Faruq, Director General of BLRI, attended as the chief guest. Special guest was Begum Mansura Hasin, Deputy Director of the Bangladesh National Zoo under the Department of Livestock Services. Former Director General of BLRI and Executive Director of the Agricultural Research Foundation, Dr. Nathu Ram Sarker, joined as a discussant. The event was chaired by Dr. Md. Sazedul Karim Sarker, Chief Scientific Officer, Head of the Poultry Research Center, and Project Director of the Poultry Research and Development Strengthening Project.

The program began with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an. Dr. Md. Rakibul Hasan, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of the Dairy Research Center, delivered the welcome speech. The keynote paper titled “Nutritional Properties of Eggs for Building a Healthy Nation” was presented by Dr. Md. Sazedul Karim Sarker. In his paper, he highlighted the history and significance of World Egg Day, the health benefits of egg consumption, and the progress and future prospects of Bangladesh’s poultry industry.

In the expert discussion session, Dr. Nathu Ram Sarker remarked, “World Egg Day has two main purposes—raising public awareness about the benefits of eggs, and encouraging egg producers.” He further emphasized that to meet future demand, production costs must be reduced and more high-yielding, environment-suitable breeds need to be developed.

During the open discussion, speakers stressed the importance of boosting egg production, developing value-added products, and diversifying poultry products through stronger research initiatives.

Special guest Begum Mansura Hasin stated, “Egg means life. It is a complete food. The nutritional quality of eggs depends on the quality of poultry feed, so we must give more attention to feed preparation standards.” She also informed that the Department of Livestock Services is working to reduce poultry feed raw material costs by increasing domestic maize production.

Chief guest Dr. Shakila Faruq said, “There is no alternative to animal protein in building a healthy and intelligent nation. Eggs are the most affordable and complete source of nutrition. They contain lower LDL (bad fat) and higher HDL (good fat), reducing health risks. The misconceptions about eggs are completely baseless. We should make it a habit to eat at least one egg daily.”

At the end of the event, Dr. Mohammad Abdur Rashid, Station In-Charge of BLRI’s Regional Center in Rajshahi, delivered the vote of thanks to the invited guests and organizers.

As part of the day’s program, eggs were also distributed among disadvantaged children of a madrasa and orphanage in Gerua, Savar.

It may be noted that to raise global awareness of the nutritional value and importance of eggs, the International Egg Commission (IEC) first initiated World Egg Day celebrations in Vienna, Austria, in 1996. Since then, the day has been observed worldwide every year on the second Friday of October. Like many other countries, Bangladesh and BLRI also celebrate the day annually. This year’s theme was— “Eggs for Protein, Eat One Every Day