Egg producers blame increasing feed cost for high price

The Philippine Egg Board has taken exception to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s remark that the increase in the price of eggs was not commensurate to the cost of production.

According to Bernadette Reyes' report on "24 Oras", board chairman Gregorio San Diego said the statement was "unfair."

“Para sa akin unfair 'yon kasi hindi pa naman nakakausap yung mga sectors eh. Hindi nila nakakausap kaming mga producers. Paano yung cost structure namin, hindi kinakausap yung mga middlemen, anong cost structure nila. Hindi nila nakakausap mga retailers,” said Philippine Egg Board Chairman, Gregorio San Diego.

“’Yun ang isang pinakamalaking problema namin. 'Yung increasing feed cost. Dati, mga 14 to 16 pesos lang yan ngayon 24 to 25 per kilo,” he added.

The egg board said that the average farmgate price of eggs is at P7.10. It is highest in the Ilocos region where it is at P7.83.

GMA Integrated News is trying to get the Department of Agriculture comment on the matter.

According to the DA, the price of eggs is now at P9 each or P270 for every tray.

Marcos on Tuesday tasked Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban to meet with egg producers and traders to know the reason behind the increase despite enough supply in the market.

The President said the government was lookiing "to implement interventions to increase agricultural productivity and ensure the availability of nutritious food at affordable prices."

"We determined that the increase in the price of eggs is not commensurate to the increase in production cost," Marcos said.

"So we will have to have a look to see how to control that because we cannot explain almost one-half of the profit margin that we are seeing. We cannot attribute it to cost," he added.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Senator Cynthia Villar said she was informed by an agriculture partylist in Batangas that there was enough supply of eggs in the country.

"Sabi sa akin nung mga [taga-]Batangas ang dami nga nilang itlog, hindi nga mabili kaya ginawa nilang powdered egg, e tapos ngayon sasabihin may shortage ng egg?" said Villar, the chairperson of the Senate agriculture, food, and agrarian reform committee.

"Sabi nila Avian flu daw, sabi nung party-list sa Batangas hindi daw. Hindi naman masyadong naapektuhan dahil sobra sobra ang production," she added.

Asked what could be happening in the prices of eggs right now, Villar responded: "Baka nagba-bad publicity sila para magmahal ang itlog." —Sherylin Untalan/NB, GMA Integrated News