Short supply, high demand push egg prices up in state

Kolkata: After onion and potato, eggs, another kitchen staple, became dearer in Bengal due to a shortage in supply and rising demand, and consumers may not get respite soon from soaring prices of the poultry product with the upcoming festive season, traders said on Saturday.

Retail price has shot up to Rs 7 apiece, while branded eggs are sold over Rs 10 per unit, they said.

"Consumers, who had shunned poultry products due to the scare of Coronavirus earlier, are now consuming eggs to meet their nutritional requirement in the fight against the virus. This has led to a rise in demand," traders in the city said. "I am selling eggs at Rs 7 apiece now, while I had sold at Rs 4 per unit in April," a grocery store owner said.

Prices of branded eggs in large format stores have increased to over Rs 10 per piece, while brown and other specialised ones are sold at higher prices. About 2.7-2.8 crore eggs are consumed daily in Bengal, while the per-day production stands at 1.8 crore.

Arambagh Hatcheries managing director Prasun Roy said the poultry industry has lost around Rs 50,000 crore due to the pandemic.