TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Egg prices in Taiwan have surged, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 農業部) to call on the poultry industry to address the escalating costs. For three consecutive weeks, egg prices have reached NT$8, while wholesale prices have climbed from NT$37 to NT$40 per catty.
Lee Yi-chien (李宜謙), director of the Department of Animal Industry (畜牧司), emphasized that the ministry will not interfere with pricing decisions. However, he highlighted that the Fair Trade Commission (FTC, 公平交易委員會) has urged the industry to avoid monopolistic practices and ensure price differences reflect regional transport costs.
Despite a slight dip in daily egg production to 123,000 boxes from last week's 125,000, supply still exceeds the national demand of 120,000 boxes. Lin Tien-lai (林天來), chairman of the Taipei Egg Trade Association (台北市蛋商業同業公會), attributed the production drop to cold weather causing chicken deaths. He suggested that the long-standing price gap of NT$9.5 should be increased.
More importantly, Wang Jianpei (王建培), secretary-general of the Poultry Association Republic of China (中華民國養雞協會), supported the idea of establishing a reasonable price gap mechanism to benefit consumers and encourage consumption. The farm price is anticipated to rise from NT$27.5 to NT$30.5 per catty on March 12, according to the latest egg price update.