Egg prices ease in Bengaluru after spike, but supply remains tight

Bengaluru

       Unscrambling Bengaluru’s egg prices: Rates drop as Ashadha Masa approaches

"The price of eggs has come down today. It is now Rs 7.50 each, compared with Rs 8 yesterday”, said Sheila, a shopkeeper in Bengaluru, referring to the drop in the city's retail egg prices following the recent hike. The retail price of a regular white egg had recently fluctuated between Rs 8 and Rs 8.50, largely due to supply disruptions triggered by the West Asia War.Despite price fluctuations, consumer demand for eggs has remained re silient, driven by the growing preference for protein rich diets and the fact that eggs continue to be one of the most accessible sources of high quality protein, enabling consumers to meet their daily protein requirements cost-effectively.

As of Tuesday, egg prices in Bengaluru remained at Rs 6.80 per piece and Rs 204 for a tray of 30 eggs. "We did incur some losses when the rates increased, but that is usual. We will recover them when the prices come down again. For now, there seems to be a shortage of supply”, said Santhosh, owner of a wholesale egg shop. He explained that prices have started easing over the past few days, although supply remains tight due to increased exports.

"We are currently paying Rs 204 per tray while purchasing, but this keeps changing continuously. During the war period, each egg was being sold at Rs 4 ”, he said, adding that prices are declining as Ashada Masa (a sacred month in the Hindu calendar) is approaching, when consumer demand is expected to drop sharply. Santhosh added that many traders are not releasing their entire stock into the market. "They are holding on to some of the stock because of the strained supply and the expectation that prices may rise further”, he said.

Bengaluru consumes around 65-70 lakh eggs every day, while Karnataka produces 2.5-3 crore eggs daily across districts including Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Mysuru, Belagavi and Shivamogga. Despite this, the state imports an estimated 30-40 lakh eggs each day, especially from Tamil Nadu. “We buy eggs from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, where wholesale prices are around 30-50 paise lower per egg than in Karnataka”, said a wholesale seller. He noted that while the price difference may seem modest, it translates into considerable savings for traders during periods of volatile prices. “However, higher fuel prices have also increased transportation costs, narrowing the overall cost advantage”, he added.