The government plans to import 200 million eggs by the end of next month to stabilize prices amid a drawn-out shortage following a tenacious bout of bird flu.

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki announced the plan during his tour of an agricultural wholesaler and a discount store on Tuesday to check on consumer prices of daily necessities.  

Under the plan, the government will import 100 million eggs in August and another 100 million in September. This will help the state-funded Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation lower the per basket price of 30 import eggs from four-thousand won to three-thousand-100 won.  

Hong said the increase in egg imports will also likely help ease prices of domestic produce from the current seven-thousand-won range to around six-thousand-won. 

South Korea has seen a steady rise in egg prices after a highly pathogenic avian flu persisted until April, forcing authorities to cull some 30 million poultry since its outbreak in November last year. 

The nation saw the number of layer chickens shrink 14.7 percent on-year to a three-year low of 62.1 million by end-March, and inch back up to 65.9 million by end-June. Prices of eggs and other dairy and agricultural goods spiked further in an ongoing heat wave.

Half or more of the imported eggs will head to hypermarkets and discount stores until next month to meet household demand. Previously, imported eggs were largely earmarked for catering businesses or food processing companies.