TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Consumers' Foundation (消基會) on Monday (Oct. 28) called Taiwan's recent egg price hike as unreasonable, citing an oversupply of eggs. The Taipei City Egg Merchants Association (台北市蛋商公會) announced a NT$3 increase in wholesale egg prices per catty, raising the cost to NT$34. They plan to adjust the farm price to NT$24.5 on Wednesday.
Despite the Ministry of Agriculture's (MOA, 農業部) report showing daily egg production of 127,000 and 126,000 cartons over the past two weeks — higher than the average daily demand of 120,000 cartons — prices have surged. Wu Jung-ta (吳榮達), chairman of the Consumers' Foundation, questioned the rationale behind the NT$3 increase and stated that the price hike is unreasonable amid an oversupply.
He also expressed concerns about the need for a supervisory mechanism, noting that egg farmers and merchants decide prices after discussions. MOA, which previously provided market information to farmers and merchants, now respects their decisions after facing allegations of price interference.
The Taipei City Egg Merchants Association explained that the price hike resulted from a vote, with two-thirds of members supporting the increase. They attributed the decision to cooler weather and increased demand from wholesalers in northern Taiwan.