Further Hike In India Egg Prices Due To Low Stocks - INDIA - Amidst decline in the overall production of layer eggs, farmgate price of table eggs has surged further this week in Tamil Nadu.

The National Egg Coordination Committee's Namakkal zonal committee, which had kept the price unchanged at Rs 1.15 for the last two weeks, has raised the egg price by five paise per unit on Thursday to Rs 1.20.

The zonal committee's decision to raise prices was attributed to the low stock of eggs with the trade and major poultry farmers.

Unlike the situation where the wholesalers chose to offer eggs at least two to three paise off the NECC's quoted price to get rid of stocks in the past few weeks, most dealers could push the supplies at the declared wholesale rate this week.

This is the result of the very low stock level.

Furthermore, the egg trade expects the wholesale price of table egg to rise further over the next few weeks. This is the period when the availability of fish in the market is anticipated to fall, in view of the restriction being clamped against fishing along the Tamil Nadu coast for allowing breeding time.

This may encourage a marginal shift from fish to egg eating.

Although there had not been any major spurt in the egg consumption, the loss of layer eggs on account of the severe heat conditions in the production belt had brought about a drop in production. The drop was estimated to be some 20 per cent compared to last year's production levels.

Source: eFeedLink - 4th May 2004