THE cost of eggs is expected to rise by as much as eight per cent. That’s according to the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) who said this was because of a shortage of eggs on the market.
The producers association put the scant supply of eggs down to an increase in feed prices last year which was caused by the drought. “The past year was very challenging for egg producers. The farmers saw feed price increases of a minimum of R1 000 per tonne between January and August 2016 due to the drought. At the same time, between January and April 2016, the egg prices dropped substantially as a result of excess eggs on the market,” said senior SAPA executive, Dr Charlotte Nkuna.
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Dr Nkuna also said that because of the tough economic climate many small scale farmers exited the industry. She added that because prices for other protein foods went up, more people were buying eggs which in turn exacerbated the demand on production.
Dr Nkuna said that this strain on people’s pockets was a medium term problem and SAPA forecasted it to extend to the latter part of this year at least.
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