The wholesale price of eggs have shot up in May from 3.25 (per piece) to anywhere between 4.10 and 4.20, with poultry farms across Tamil Nadu, especially those in Namakkal district, sending their product to Kerala in large quantities to cash in on the fish shortage created by the trawling ban in the neighbouring state from June 15-July 31.
The retail prices of eggs have also gone up in some other districts too. The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), Namakkal zone, on Thursday hiked the price of an egg by 5 paise from 4.05 to 4.10.
Traders said there was a high demand for eggs with vegetables becoming costly and impending ban on fishing in Kerala and Karnataka and hence the rise in prices. They said the prices of egg and chicken would shoot up further in the coming days.
"Of the average production of nearly 4.50 crore eggs a day in Tamil Nadu, we send 40 lakh eggs to Kerala daily. In addition, 10 lakh chicken are also sent to the state. During the fishing ban, this doubles," said Dr P V Senthil, secretary, Livestock and Agri Farmers Trade Association (LIFT).
He said the sale would get a further boost when government schools reopen in the first week of June, as schools are major consumers of eggs, thanks to the noon-meal scheme.
"In the past three months, all poultry farmers in Namakkal district have suffered huge losses. The whole industry is pinning hopes on the fishing ban in Kerala and the reopening of government schools in Tamil Nadu," Senthil said. According to him, poultry farmers would soon send 80 lakh eggs and 20 lakh chicken daily to Kerala alone.
Sources at the NECC said the wholesale price of an egg was 3 in April and it shot up to 3.25 when the Central government announced trawling ban in the Southern coastal area from April 15 to June 1.
"During this time, all non-vegetarians automatically switch over to chicken and eggs, as fish becomes dearer. This led to a spike in egg prices from the first week of May," said an official with NECC, who did not want to be named.
He also hinted that the prices of both chicken and eggs were likely to soar after the fishing ban was enforced in Kerala on June 15.
The retail prices of eggs have also gone up in some other districts too. The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), Namakkal zone, on Thursday hiked the price of an egg by 5 paise from 4.05 to 4.10.
Traders said there was a high demand for eggs with vegetables becoming costly and impending ban on fishing in Kerala and Karnataka and hence the rise in prices. They said the prices of egg and chicken would shoot up further in the coming days.
"Of the average production of nearly 4.50 crore eggs a day in Tamil Nadu, we send 40 lakh eggs to Kerala daily. In addition, 10 lakh chicken are also sent to the state. During the fishing ban, this doubles," said Dr P V Senthil, secretary, Livestock and Agri Farmers Trade Association (LIFT).
He said the sale would get a further boost when government schools reopen in the first week of June, as schools are major consumers of eggs, thanks to the noon-meal scheme.
"In the past three months, all poultry farmers in Namakkal district have suffered huge losses. The whole industry is pinning hopes on the fishing ban in Kerala and the reopening of government schools in Tamil Nadu," Senthil said. According to him, poultry farmers would soon send 80 lakh eggs and 20 lakh chicken daily to Kerala alone.
Sources at the NECC said the wholesale price of an egg was 3 in April and it shot up to 3.25 when the Central government announced trawling ban in the Southern coastal area from April 15 to June 1.
"During this time, all non-vegetarians automatically switch over to chicken and eggs, as fish becomes dearer. This led to a spike in egg prices from the first week of May," said an official with NECC, who did not want to be named.
He also hinted that the prices of both chicken and eggs were likely to soar after the fishing ban was enforced in Kerala on June 15.