Fresh eggs are sold at the Mandaue City Market. | Emmariel Ares
The Department of Agriculture (DA) implied there may be a shortage of eggs two months from now as many local producers suffered losses due to oversupply and lower prices last year.
“The unfortunate thing, our forecast is there might be a shortage of eggs by April,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Friday.
“The problem with this shortage is that last year, there was an oversupply of eggs, causing farm-gate prices to drop by P4 per piece,” he told reporters in Filipino.
“Many suffered losses. Those who incurred losses culled their laying hens to generate cash,” he said.
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This particular situation “significantly reduced the population of egg-laying hens, potentially impacting future supply,” according to the secretary.
Tiu Laurel said local poultry raisers need hatching eggs as the demand for this commodity has started to increase.
“We don’t see it that way, however, anything can happen. Ang dami kasing may bird flu sa ibang bansa at huwag sanang makarating dito sa bansa natin,” Philippine Egg Board Association chairman emeritus Gregorio San Diego said in a text message.
(There are so many cases of bird flu in other countries and I hope it doesn’t reach our country.)
San Diego also said the domestic supply of eggs has increased since then.
Tiu Laurel said the potential egg supply shortfall can still be addressed even though the agency does not have existing programs to support those livestock owners who intentionally or voluntarily slaughtered their chickens to cut their losses.
“Hopefully, there may be a chance to avert this because it’s only February,” he said. “But at least, looking forward, we know there’s a problem and we will act on it.”
The agriculture chief urged financial institutions such as the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines to provide funding to support the industry’s repopulation efforts.
Such projects can help avert a crisis similar to the situation affecting the United States, where an avian influenza outbreak has led to the culling of millions of egg-laying chickens.
“I just came back from America. There, eggs are sold from $2.45 per tray to $4.15 per tray. And in their supermarkets, I no longer see eggs. There’s a limit of one to two trays per individual,” Tiu Laurel said.
Hoping to alleviate shortage of eggs, the DA said it is expediting the importation of egg-laying chickens and pushing for immediate approval of avian influenza vaccines by the Food and Drug Administration.
Likewise, the agency is secure about the existence of a P300 million budget requested by the National Livestock Program to fund vaccine testing, with the possibility of mass inoculation beginning as early as March.
The monitored release of these vaccines, according to Tiu Laurel, will give confidence to the industry.
Currently, the Philippines has no positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, based on the Bureau of Animal Industry’s update as of Jan. 24.
“There were no ongoing cases since culling/depopulation and surveillance activities within 1-km radius in the previously reported cases were completed,” it added.
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