Even during this hot period when eggs may easily go bad, their prices remain high, ranging from 11 to 14 lei for 10 pieces, as compared to 5-6 lei last summer. Ion Bizgu, director of the state-run poultry enterprise Avicola Moldova, told Info-Prim Neo that the prices are determined by supply and demand. “Last year there was an overproduction of eggs. Producers in our country were not coping with such amounts and consequently had to drop the price”, explained Ion Bizgu. Of the total annual domestic output of 800 million eggs, 60% are provided by household farms, which are seasonal, and Ion Bizgu further explained that this year seasonal producers are short of hands and are unable to provide the same amounts as last year, when they worked at a loss. Meanwhile, there are 15 permanent industrial producers which have kept their output steady. Other producers said the high prices are the result of higher prices on feed and fuel. Ion Railean, the manager of a poultry farm in Briceni, in particular said that breeding and keeping chickens has become a more expensive business after soy prices rose. His farm also experiences a shortage of hands, despite a decent salary offer. Agriculture Ministry sources confirmed that the high egg prices are mainly due to the high costs of feeding the chickens, but also due to the fact that many eggs in this period are used for incubation to meet the high demand for young chickens. Prices are expected to drop in two weeks, when the grain harvest season starts.