“Normally, the country produces 10-12 crore eggs daily. This is down by 20-25 per cent primarily due to a lower than normal replacement rate of birds, which means that old birds have been culled without replacing them with new ones. The cost of maize, the primary feed of poultry, is high at Rs 8.50 a kilo compared with Rs 6.50 last year,” said B R Sainath, Karnataka zonal chairman of National Egg Coordination Committee.

People are also moving from the high priced vegetables to eggs, thereby boosting demand. Egg prices are likely to move up by at least 5 per cent in the coming months, added Sainath.

Since May 1, wholesale prices in Delhi have gone up from Rs 145 (for 100 eggs) to Rs 185, in Mumbai from Rs 160 to 195, in Kolkata from Rs 155 to Rs 200, in Chennai from Rs 170 to Rs 200, in Hyderabad from Rs 140 to 170 and in Bangalore from Rs 165 to Rs 190.

Source: Business Standard