TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taipei City Egg Merchants Association (台北市蛋商業同業公會) announced on Tuesday (Dec. 17) that daily egg production has surged to 127,000 cartons, marking a recent high. Despite this increase, they decided to maintain current prices this week, citing several factors influencing their decision.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 農業部) suggested that egg prices might have bottomed out, contributing to the decision not to lower prices. Since late September, domestic egg production has consistently exceeded 125,000 cartons per day, leading to an oversupply.
However, prices have unexpectedly risen since late October, prompting the Consumers' Foundation (消基會) to request twice that the Fair Trade Commission (公平交易委員會) investigate. In early December, the industry adjusted prices downward by NT$2, setting the current farm price at NT$24.5 per jin, wholesale at NT$34 per jin, and the most affordable retail price at approximately NT$44 per box.
Lin Tien-lai (林天來), the Taipei City Egg Merchants Association chairman, noted that while older hens have been culled, new laying hens and molting have boosted production capacity, keeping daily output on the rise. MOA highlighted that some farms struggle with operational efficiency, facing costs higher than the farm price of NT$24 to NT$25 per jin, which has reached the operational efficiency threshold. This situation has further discouraged a price reduction.
