Egg prices touched Rs 8 per piece and it may rise further within a couple of days amidst the festive season of Christmas and New Year celebrations. The price per egg in the retail markets in the city and districts by Rs 1.50 since last week as the countdown for the Christmas festival begins.

According to stakeholders in the poultry business, prices are likely to shoot up by another Re 1 by this week. There has been a shortfall in supply of eggs particularly at a time when demand increases usually during Christmas and New Year festivals every year.

But this time, normal supply of eggs has been affected because of the recent cyclone with heavy rain in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, two southern states that provide bulk supply across the country. Some poultry businessmen in the wholesale markets felt that the shortfall in supply of eggs from the two cyclone-hit states has prompted retailers to increase prices.

A majority of retail outlets in the city and adjoining towns like Howrah, Salt Lake, New Town, Bally and several other areas sold poultry eggs between at Rs 225 and Rs 240 per crate. Both retailers and poultry farmers felt that there has been a noticeable demand-supply gap of eggs shooting up the prices of the essential item during Christmas and New Year in the state. “We are buying eggs at Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,500 per 200 pieces.

We would have nothing to profit if we don’t sell it at Rs 225 or Rs 240 per crate,” said Haaru, a retailer residing in Shibpur in Howrah. “Owing to the expensive cost of poultry feed and related material it’s getting difficult for farm owners to run their business.

Poultry farmers will face major losses in coming days if the two major factors like costs of feed and fuel are not taken into consideration by the central government immediately,” said Mr Madan Maity, secretary of Bengal Poultry Association (BPA).

“Costs of poultry products are fluctuating from time to time with rise and fall in prices though there has been a regular alarming hike of 88 to 90 per cent feed since 2018,” he said. “Egg prices shoot up every year during this time. I hope prices will come down soon. Bengal gets around 80 lakh to a crore eggs everyday from southern states in the country,” said Mr Maity