Bhubaneswar: Egg prices have witnessed a sharp increase across Odisha over the past few weeks. The retail price of an egg, which had dropped below ₹5 around two months ago, has now climbed to ₹9 in many markets across the state.

The price of chicken has also increased. Chicken, which was earlier selling between ₹220 and ₹250 per kg, is now being sold at ₹260 to ₹300 per kg. Consumers have expressed concern over the sudden rise in prices.

Retail traders said they have been forced to raise prices as procurement costs at production centres have gone up. Poultry producers attributed the increase to several factors, including higher feed costs and rising production expenses.

Growing global demand for eggs has also led to increased exports, putting pressure on domestic supplies. They said the intense summer heat this year affected poultry farms, with high temperatures increasing bird mortality and reducing egg production.

Odisha Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik said eggs are currently being procured by traders from production centres at around ₹7.15 to ₹7.20 per egg before being sold in the retail market at around ₹9.

The minister said Odisha's eggs are witnessing strong demand in several Asian and African countries, resulting in regular exports. He said the state currently produces around 1.27 crore eggs daily, amounting to nearly 460 crore eggs annually, while the state's annual requirement is estimated at 800 to 900 crore eggs.

To bridge the gap, the state government has introduced various initiatives to boost poultry farming. Under the Chief Minister's Krushi Udyogi Yojana, poultry farmers rearing between 500 and 5,000 birds are eligible for subsidies of up to 50 per cent. Mallik said demand for eggs has further increased with the reopening of schools, but prices are expected to ease as production gradually rises.

He added that discussions are underway with poultry farms to improve supply. However, since egg trading operates in an open market, the government cannot restrict private producers from deciding where to sell their products. The state has set a target of increasing daily egg production to 2 crore eggs.

The price rise has also affected government nutrition programmes. Under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) supplementary nutrition scheme, children are entitled to 20 eggs per month, while pregnant and lactating women receive 12 eggs each.

However, the government currently provides only ₹5 per egg under the scheme, while the market price has reached ₹9. This has made it difficult for Anganwadi workers to supply eggs regularly. In many places, workers distribute eggs only occasionally and have reportedly faced protests from beneficiaries and locals.

The allocation for supplementary nutrition is only ₹7.82 per beneficiary per day, which is now lower than the cost of a single egg. As a result, children are often being served only rice and dalma instead of the intended nutritious meal that includes eggs.