Bengaluru: Even though egg prices have fallen sharply in wholesale markets across Karnataka amid export disruptions linked to the conflict in West Asia, consumers in Bengaluru and neighbouring districts are yet to enjoy any relief, with most retailers keeping rates unchanged.When TOI enquired across the city, one egg was still being sold for between Rs 6 and Rs 7.5. According to the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), the wholesale price on Friday stood at Rs 4.8 in Bengaluru — a slight increase from Rs 4.7 and Rs 4.6 in the previous three days. A few customers also expressed concerns about prices not being reduced and the benefit not reaching the end user. Hassain, a resident of Hennur, said: “As a customer, I feel the benefit of the lower wholesale price should reach us too. Egg prices usually keep going up, but now they are lower, we should also benefit.”Vaisnav, a wholesale dealer, said: “We get our stock usually from Tamil Nadu. As of Friday, the wholesale price was Rs 4.8. Initially, when the tensions began, we got lower stock than requested; now, we are getting full stock.”Shyamala James, a resident of Indiranagar, said, “Even though the wholesale price of eggs is around Rs 4.8, retail prices in Bengaluru vary from shop to shop. If stores followed a consistent price, it would make buying from local shops easier and increase consumer trust.” Nirmala B, a resident of Hulimavu, said: “Eggs are an important and affordable source of nutrition for many families, so it would be good if the drop in prices was passed on more fairly to end users.”Prices could pick upWith the sharp fall in prices, egg production has dropped slightly now, which in turn might slowly push the price back up.According to V Sheshanarayan, sales promotion officer at NECC, after the prices dropped sharply, farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Namakkal (one of the largest egg producers in South India, with 7 crore eggs produced a day) culled chickens. “Production dropped in Namakkal after they started culling the chickens, and because of the bad summer, chickens are dying in large numbers, leading to decreased production. They have also started moulting, a process in which the laying of eggs is purposefully delayed to manage existing stock.“These changes in Namakkal have had an impact on Bengaluru consumers. “Karnataka produces over 2.5 crore eggs, and Bengaluru alone consumes between 80 lakh to 1 crore eggs daily. But of this, close to 45 lakh eggs are supplied from Namakkal alone. Any changes there will have an impact on the Bengaluru market,” Sheshanarayan explained.He also told TOI that eggs from Karnataka are exported to other states and countries. Explaining why the end consumer has not benefited from the price fall, he said, “It is always the middleman who tries to get the benefit; neither the farmer nor the consumer gets it. For instance, in Mysuru, the wholesale price is Rs 4.85. Eggs are bought from the farmer at Rs 4.5 apiece, but in the market it is sold at Rs 6 to Rs 6.5. End customers should understand the prices and accordingly buy from retail stores. Retail shops cannot increase the price much beyond the running wholesale price.”Chicken prices to be hit?Prasanna N, managing partner at Nandini Poultry Breeding Farms and secretary of Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders’ Association, said: “The price of eggs has come down by almost Rs 3… All our exports have halted due to the unavailability of flights. From Karnataka, eggs are largely exported from Mysuru, Davanagere, and other North Karnataka districts to countries like Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. This has now stopped, leading to a fall in prices.” He also mentioned that every month, 50 lakh hatching eggs are exported to these countries — which has not happened this month. If the trend continues for the next few months and all such eggs hatch within the state, the price of chicken could also come down, he added.
