Increasing demand for egg has resulted in steady increase of wholesale egg rate as the Namakkal Zone National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) has increased its price by five paise to Rs. 2.73 on Saturday. Decision to increase its price was taken at the committee's rate fixation meeting held at its zonal office here.
Sources said the ongoing increase was unusual, as egg rate usually picked up only towards the end of May.
Saturday's increase was the seventh price hike in the last two weeks _ an increase of 33 paise and by 58 paise in less than a month. It steadily increased from Rs. 2.40 on April 29 to Rs. 2.45 on April 30, Rs. 2.52 (May 3), Rs. 2.57 (May 5), Rs. 2.62 (May 7), Rs. 2.68 (May 10) and Rs. 2.73 (May 12). “The market is favourable in all aspects with increase in consumption, production and favourable climatic conditions and similar increase in egg rates in other major zones across the country”, NECC Chairman Dr. P. Selvaraj said. He expressed confidence that its price might increase further – steadily – towards the end of this month.
These rates are higher than the poultry product's price in the following zones: Barwala (Rs. 2.39), E.Godavari, W.Godavari and Hyderabad (Rs. 2.41), Warangal (Rs. 2.45), Delhi and Vizag (Rs. 2.55), Vijayawada (Rs. 2.57), Nagpur and Indore (Rs. 2.60), Bhopal (Rs. 2.62), Jabalpur (Rs. 2.63), Ahmedabad, Allahabad and Raipur (Rs. 2.67), Varanasi (Rs. 2.69), Bangalore (Rs. 2.70), Pune, Kanpur and Chittoor (Rs. 2.71). The NECC Chairman said that wholesale price has chances of touching the Rs. 3 mark once again in the first week of June.
“By then, the demand for the commodity will be higher as sale of eggs for the Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme in schools will resume – at 45 lakh eggs a day,” Dr. Selvaraj added.
Summer
“There has been a drop in production of 10 to 15 per cent during the summer, but there was no major impact on the production over the last couple of weeks – despite the ongoing ‘Agni Natchatram' as frequent moderate summer showers have reduce the impact of the rising mercury level and kept the temperature under control,'' he said.
