Shortage of chicken, eggs possible: AIEPA

If the government does not intervene and protect the production of chicken and eggs, people will move away from this business. Therefore, it could lead to a shortage of chicken and eggs in the country in the future, the All Island Egg Producers Association (AIEPA) said.

According to AIEPA Treasurer Wijeya Alwis, the price of an egg will be raised to Rs. 35 during the next new year season due to the aforementioned reason.

With the higher cost of the raw materials, the selling price of a white egg is Rs. 23 and a red egg is Rs. 24 at egg production farms, he said.

The government has recently reduced the cost of maize imports and given a little relief.

However, the farmers were hit by soaring feed costs as forex shortages and import controls compounded the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

"Poultry feed is made of soya meal, maize, and sometimes wheat. There is a significant shortage of feed ingredients due to global and local market conditions, as well as our country's forex crisis and supply chain issues," he explained.

Most small and medium farmers are closing their farms and they are not going to invest because of the high cost of production and risks in the market. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)