Egg Price Halves As Exports Plunge

Poultry farmers said eggs that were earlier exported are now being diverted to local markets as disruptions in the transport chain have affected shipments to West Asian countries. Eggs from Telangana and neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are usually exported to several countries in the region.

Retail platforms have also begun offering discounts on eggs over the past two days, prominently promoting them on their home pages.

According to the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), the benchmark price is ₹4.20 per egg, while supermarket prices are around ₹4.62 per piece.

Egg prices typically range between ₹6 and ₹7 per piece and sometimes fall to around ₹5 during peak summer. However, in March, prices have dropped to about ₹4 amid the export slowdown.

“As exports have shrunk, we are emptying our stocks in the local markets by offering a lesser price,” said a poultry farmer from Ibrahimpatnam.

According to state data, Telangana has around 2,000 layer farms with nearly seven crore layer birds producing about 3.5 crore eggs every day.

"We can’t store perishables for long. So we are forced to sell them for a cheaper price. I am also trying to strike a deal with online grocery platforms to dispose of the stock,” said a hatchery owner operating multiple facilities in the state.

A poultry farmer from Shadnagar said those in the business need not panic and that discussions were underway with poultry associations on the future course of action.

He said the extent of losses would become clear only after the existing stock was sold, adding that farmers could incur losses of ₹1 to ₹2 per egg depending on the final sales price.