Egg prices, after scaling a record Rs 3.13 a piece last December, cooled owing to buyers' resistance and winter coming to an end. According to The Hindu Business Line, to perk up poultry consumption, the NECC slashed the price to Rs 2.35 last week.

Industry sources told Business Line that this move (the price cut) has lifted off-take and hence the industry wanted to cash in on the demand and hiked prices gradually.

Egg production in Namakkal, the country's poultry hub , stood at 3.07 crore in January this year against 2.74 crore during the same period a year ago. The cold wave in North India was the main reason for prices to touched a record during the fag end of last year. The seasonal market attracted an average 25-35 lakh eggs a day of Namakkal's average daily production.

With the exports dwindling slowly, the industry is focussing on the home turf.

Meanwhile, NECC has retained last week's prices for layer birds at Rs 29 a kg while the Broiler Coordination Committee's rates for cull birds is down by Rs 3 a kg to Rs 45.