Egg prices crash in Andhra Pradesh, poultry farmers in distress

Metro India News | AMARAVATI 

Egg prices in Andhra Pradesh have witnessed a sharp and sudden decline, triggering serious concerns among poultry farmers across the state. After gradually falling over the past few days, wholesale prices have now collapsed to ₹420 per 100 eggs, reflecting the severity of the downturn in the poultry market. Poultry owners attribute the sharp fall primarily to declining domestic consumption and disruptions in export markets, particularly due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

Andhra Pradesh is one of India’s major egg-producing states, with poultry farms collectively producing around five crore eggs every day. However, only about half of this output is consumed within the state, while the remaining 2.5 crore eggs are usually exported to other states and international markets, including Gulf countries. In recent weeks, both domestic demand and export volumes have weakened significantly.

The situation has been further aggravated by geopolitical tensions in West Asia, particularly the conflict atmosphere between Israel and Iran. The unrest has disrupted shipping and logistics operations in the region, severely affecting exports from India.

Speaking to Metro India, B Srinivas, Poultry farm owner said that egg exports from Visakhapatnam port and Kakinada Port to Gulf countries have come to a halt, directly impacting poultry markets in Andhra Pradesh that depend heavily on overseas demand. “The overall imbalance between supply and demand has led to a steep fall in prices, leaving poultry farmers struggling to recover production costs,” he said.

According to the National Egg Coordination Committee, the current farm-gate price of an egg has been fixed at Rs 4.20 per piece. However, despite the sharp drop in wholesale prices, consumers are not seeing a proportional decline at the retail level. Eggs are currently being sold for Rs 5 to Rs 5.50 each at chicken shops, while prices in grocery stores are reaching up to ₹6 per egg.

The current downturn is particularly striking when compared with prices just a few months ago. In December last year, egg prices had surged to a record ₹678 per 100 eggs, with retail prices touching ₹8 per egg in several markets. From those peak levels, the steep fall in prices has created uncertainty within the poultry sector.  Poultry farmers say the collapse in prices is pushing them into financial distress, as production costs, including feed, electricity, and transportation, remain high. “With prices falling below viable levels, recovering investments has become extremely difficult,” farmers said, warning that continued export disruptions could lead to deeper losses in the coming months.