Egg Hoarding Pushes Prices to 6.20 Baht Per Unit
Middlemen are hoarding eggs and panic-buying, pushing prices to 6.20 baht per unit despite adequate production, according to the Central Region Small-Scale Layer Chicken Traders Association in Thailand.
Egg farmers say middlemen are panic-buying and stockpiling eggs, driving up prices to 6.20 baht per unit, even as production remains adequate. According to Payao Arikul, chair of the Central Region Small-Scale Layer Chicken Traders Association, egg production has declined by 30 percent due to disease outbreaks and erratic weather, not actual shortages. Middlemen have increased orders by 20 percent, fearing further price hikes, which has created the appearance of scarcity in some retail outlets. Farm-gate prices have hit 4 baht per egg, matching levels seen during the 2011 Bangkok floods, but prices are expected to fall once farms control disease and demand drops during the vegetarian festival season in two months. The Commerce Ministry's "Thai Eggs Help Thailand" program, selling eggs 10 percent below market price, is addressing symptoms rather than root causes and may squeeze small traders at wet markets who have higher overhead costs. Market surveys at Prachanives Market confirm eggs are still available, though wholesalers are reducing shipments to retailers and citing shortages. Current prices are 6.20 baht for size 0, 5.80 baht for size 1, and 5.20 baht for size 2 eggs.
