Why egg prices are soaring across India

Wholesale prices of eggs in cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vizag are also in the higher-than-normal range.

The uptick in egg prices comes at the onset of a slight chill when consumption goes up significantly. (Express File Photo by Nirmal Harindran)

After Kolkata, Pune has recorded the highest egg prices in the country with industry experts saying that higher-than-usual prices would continue as there is a sharp 10-15 per cent decline in production.

Eggs in Kolkata’s wholesale market are priced at Rs 6.50, much higher than in other cities in the country. At Rs 6.44 per piece wholesale prices in Pune are the highest the city has seen in the last year. Retail prices of eggs in Pune now range from Rs 7-7.50/piece.

Wholesale prices in cities like Ahmedabad (Rs 6.39), Surat (Rs 6.37), and Vizag (Rs 6.25) are also in the higher than normal range.

Story continues below this ad

For most of the calendar year 2023, egg prices were below the Rs 6.10 range in wholesale markets. This uptick in egg prices comes at the onset of a slight chill when consumption goes up significantly.

In other news | Ministries flagged MSP concerns: Low returns to rising oil imports

On average, the country consumes 30 crore eggs per month.

Prasanna Pegaonkar, General Manager, Venkateshwara Hatcheries, said the present price hike was a result of sustained losses the industry had gone through. “Due to losses, many of the layer companies (egg manufacturers) have either shut down or reduced their production,” Pegaonkar said.

Given the longer lifecycle of layer birds, the production of eggs might not come up quickly. Farmers procure one-day-old (ODC) chicks from breeds and raise them for the next 42-45 days. The birds start laying eggs and continue to do so for the next 18 months, after which they are replaced.

Story continues below this ad

Poultry farmers have said the drought in the peninsular part of the country and higher feed costs have seen many layer players exiting the business. Given the longer time cycle, production figures are not expected to come up any time soon which will see egg prices remain on the higher side, they have said.

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories