Odisha egg prices slide amid Andhra supply surge
Berhampur: Odisha has slashed egg prices to compete with a massive influx of surplus supply from Andhra Pradesh, even as the West Asia conflict adds further pressure to global supply chains.
Odisha’s poultry economy, though steadily growing, remains structurally dependent and vulnerable. The State currently produces around 1.03 crore to 1.17 crore eggs per day, translating to nearly 372 crore eggs annually. However, the daily consumption demand is significantly high, estimated at over 60 lakh eggs per day, with additional institutional demand from welfare schemes. At the heart of this production lies Ganjam district, the poultry hub of Odisha, which alone contributes nearly half of the State’s total egg output, making it the backbone of the supply chain. The district hosts 64 commercial layer farms along with numerous small and medium units, sustaining thousands of livelihoods.
With Andhra Pradesh producing over five crore eggs daily, nearly five times Odisha’s output, and commanding a dominant share in India’s poultry sector, it has unleashed a surplus-driven supply push into neighboring markets. As cheaper Andhra eggs penetrate Odisha’s markets, local traders and institutions have naturally gravitated toward the lower-priced supply. In response, Odisha has been compelled to realign its price structure. As the West Asia war disrupted egg export and shipment to Gulf countries abruptly stalled, the egg prices tumbled across major production hubs and the prices of eggs dropped due to surplus eggs in the domestic market. Though Odisha never exports eggs to Gulf countries, it also suffered from this setback with a huge number of eggs flooding the domestic market from Andhra Pradesh.
In Andhra Pradesh, the wholesale price per one egg has fallen from Rs 4.30 to Rs 3.50. Retail prices in Andhra dropped to Rs 8 from Rs 10 per egg. Andhra supplies 10 to 11 truckloads of eggs to Odisha with 2.30 lakh eggs in each truck daily to Odisha now.
A tray of 30 eggs sold at Rs 160 in January last in Odisha prior to the West Asia war, now trades at Rs 125. The wholesale price per egg dropped from Rs 5.30 to Rs 4.15. Similarly, the retail price dropped from Rs 6.50 to Rs 5, said Suvendu Kumar Sahu, president of Ganjam Layers Farmers Association.
The crisis is further compounded by global factors. The ongoing West Asia conflict has disrupted export channels and international demand flows, leading to a redirection of surplus eggs into domestic markets. This has intensified the glut, indirectly strengthening Andhra’s aggressive supply position and worsening price pressure in Odisha.
Despite producing nearly one crore eggs daily, Odisha’s per capita availability stands at only 82 eggs per year, far below the recommended 180, highlighting both a consumption gap and structural inefficiencies. Thus, a paradox emerges. A State striving for self-sufficiency yet forced into defensive pricing. As Andhra leverages scale, surplus, and market reach, Odisha finds itself in a relentless balancing act such as cutting prices to retain market share while risking the sustainability of its farmers.
In this unfolding ‘egg war’, the price of survival is being paid not in markets alone, but in the fragile economics of poultry farmsacross Ganjam and beyond.
