Prices of egg and broiler meat are ruling high with production down due to summer and an increase in demand. The demand is driven partly by seafood prices which are at a premium in the South with the seasonal fishing ban in place.

Egg prices, as set by the NECC (National Egg Coordination Committee) range around ₹4 a piece in major urban centres. In Chennai, the price crossed ₹4 earlier this week and is now at ₹4.15.

In other cities the trend is similar, in Bangalore egg price is ₹3.95; Delhi ₹3.52; Mumbai ₹4.02; Pune ₹4.07; and Kolkata ₹3.97.

At Namakkal, the major production centre in Tamil Nadu the price is ₹4.

According to NECC representatives the uptrend happens due to the drop in output in summer. Normally, the production is about 3.25 crore eggs a day in Namakkal and this drops about 10-15 per cent due to high temperatures. The daily output is now pegged at about 2.8 crore.

Also, with schools set to reopen, agencies handling egg supplies to noon meal schemes start picking up stock. In Tamil Nadu when the schools reopen on June 1, it will add to the daily demand about 60 lakh eggs, said trade representatives. Usually most of the production is consumed. Also, the annual ban on sea catches is still on for couple of weeks more and seafood prices are at a premium. So poultry products gain focus in the markets. For instance, the retail price of the popular seer fish is about ₹1,350 a kg, up about ₹200. Similarly, broiler prices are also up with the Broiler Coordination Committee price pegged at ₹100 a kg for a live bird. This is a 15-20 per cent increase, said a representative.

In the retail markets in Chennai, dressed meet has hit a high of ₹170 a kg up from about ₹140 a week back. High seafood price plus the holiday season demand is the reason for chicken prices to pick up. The daily output of broilers is about 10 lakh birds and this drops by about 20 per cent in peak summer, he explained.

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