'Eggspensive:' Why egg prices surge as the holidays near

The prices of eggs in the market are seeing an increase as the holiday season draws near, Bernadette Reyes reported Wednesday on “24 Oras."

Latest price monitoring by the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed medium-sized eggs are now priced at P9.50 per piece.

This prompted some customers to buy the small-sized or “peewee” eggs, which cost P7 each at the Trabajo Market in Manila.

“‘Pag December talaga nataas ‘yan halos araw-araw. Kaya farm po kumikita ‘di gaya namin (na) retailer,” an egg retailer shared.

(Prices of eggs usually increase in December. Farms benefit from that but not us egg retailers.)

The Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA) acknowledged egg prices went up due to the sluggish production but expressed confusion over the extent of the price hike.

“P7 ang average namin sa farm sa medium, P7.40 sa large. Sa market, ang presyo sabi nyo P9.50 sa medium, pagkatapos P11 to P12 pesos sa large. Ang laki naman ng diperensya… Parang sobra naman,” said PEBA Chairperson Gregorio San Diego.

(We sell medium-sized eggs at an average of P7. Large eggs at P7.40. You said prices in markets are now at P9.50 for medium-sized and P11 to P12 for large ones. That’s a huge difference. That seems excessive.)

DA Undersecretary Deogracias Victor Savellano said the department is exerting efforts to boost the country’s corn production, which is used as chicken feed.

Once the prices of chicken feed decrease, Savellano said egg supplies will increase and the country may start exporting should there be an oversupply.—Sundy Locus/RF, GMA Integrated News