In W20, in the chicken egg landscape, Indonesia's chicken egg price rose from USD 1.95/kg in W19 to USD 2.01/kg in W20. The highest chicken egg price reached USD 2.50/kg in Maluku on May 16. The price increase is predominantly the result of rising production costs and a domestic egg supply that hasn't fully recovered. The Indonesian government's Stunting Vulnerable Families (KRS) programme from Bapanas, where families receive assistance in the form of chickens and eggs, also contributed to the rise in chicken egg prices. On the contrary, chicken egg prices in the US have significantly decreased, beginning in late March and reaching their lowest in early May 2023. In W19, egg prices were just USD 0.94/dozen at the wholesale market, a sharp drop from USD 5.46/dozen six months ago. The retail price dropped 1.5% MoM from March to April. According to the USDA, there were 314M laying hens in April 2023, an increase from 308M in December 2022. This situation is in contrast to 2022, when egg prices skyrocketed due to avian flu, which killed a large number of laying hens, limiting the egg supply. Egg producers in California, or those wanting to sell eggs into the state, must comply with Prop 12, which, since January 2022, states that for laying hens, no cages are permitted. In the Netherlands, egg prices have risen to a record high in 2023. The prices of free-range eggs reached USD 2.82/kg in March, which is 70% higher YoY caused by high feed prices which have risen sharply from March 2022. In W20, the price of assorted eggs at farms in Thailand's Phitsanulok province increased from USD 0.10/egg to USD 0.11/egg, the highest price in 2023, due to a drop in production resulting from rising costs of animal feed and farmers retiring older chickens in accordance with schedules. On May 15, prices of branded chicken eggs in Ukraine ranged between USD 1.64-1.76/dozen on average, a decrease from USD 1.91-2.01/dozen in April due to rising egg production. Chicken egg prices are expected to continue to decrease during the summer by about 15%.
The Ukrainian government adopted Resolution No. 472 "On Amendments to Appendix 5 to Resolution No. 1466 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of December 27, 2022", which cancels the exporting licenses for several goods, including chicken eggs. This will maximise the export of agricultural goods and raise foreign exchange earnings. The current egg shortage in the UK could last up to a year, as many farmers stop production earlier due to rising production costs caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and low prices offered in supermarkets. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, chicken meat and egg producers are appealing to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to immediately curb the importation and outright smuggling of both commodities due to a prevailing supply glut. On top of that, producers are also affected by the drop in demand resulting from inflation. The Philippines produced 2.8% more chicken eggs in Q1 of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, as chicken production grew by 3.3%. Lastly, Japanese researchers at Hiroshima University have developed a modified chicken egg called the "OVM-Knockout" using genome editing technology that does not include ovomucoid, the protein that causes egg white allergies.
