Egg prices soar by 50 per carton in a week in Guwahati

Guwahati: Following the rise in fuel and commercial LPG costs, egg prices have now surged, adding to the financial strain on households. Heavy reliance on other states to meet the demand of eggs is among the factors affecting prices.


The official statistics of the animal husbandry and veterinary department reveals that Assam produces an average of 62 crore eggs annually, against the requirement of 560 crore eggs, which is just over 10%. This means, the state locally produces only around 17 lakh eggs per day against the total requirement of over 1.53 crore eggs daily.


The price of a carton of 30 eggs, sourced from outside the state, has increased by Rs 50 compared to the price one week ago in the city. Traders have attributed this spike primarily to the recent hike in fuel prices.


Rashidul Kazi, a wholesale trader with an egg warehouse in Nalapara in the city, said the market has seen an increase of Rs 40-50 rupees per carton compared to last year at the same time.


“A tray of 30 eggs, procured from outside the state, is being sold at Rs 200, which was sold at Rs 180 one week ago. Similarly, the price of one cartoon of seven trays of eggs was Rs 1250 one week ago, which has gone upto Rs 1300 now,” he added.


A senior research officer at the animal husbandry and veterinary department said, “The state currently meets its egg demand by sourcing supplies from Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad. However, local production has been steadily rising. While it still falls short of overall demand, output has improved compared to previous financial years. This growth is largely driven by educated youth taking up animal husbandry under various govt schemes. Though official data for 2024–25 is yet to be released, production is expected to be higher than in 2023–24.”


In Dec last year, the price of eggs per tray was Rs 230-250, after a hike primarily due to seasonal dip in production. However, the prices became normal before this fresh surge.


The officer added that Guwahati, which has a population of around 13 lakh, requires around 20 lakh eggs per day. There are three egg warehouses in the city, where eggs procured from outside the state are stored, before being distributed in the markets across the city. Around 20-25 lakh eggs reach Guwahati by road every day, he added.