The price of eggs increased almost twice compared with summer. The eggs in the Chisinau markets are now sold for 19-23 lei. Contacted by IPN, director general of the scientific state production company “Avicola-Moldova” Ion Bazgu said the egg prices during the year vary depending on a number of factors. In the cold months they increase and then almost halve in summer.
Ion Bazgu said the main factor that leads to a rise in the price of eggs is the price of food, which is 50% purchased from abroad. “The fact that the corn now costs 2 lei a kilogram does not mean that we feed the birds only on 2 lei. The food for farm poultry 50% consists of grains, while the rest is vitamins, amino acids and vegetal and animal proteins that are bought from abroad,” he stated.
According to the producer, one kilogram of such a vegetal protein as soybean is imported at the price of 11-12 lei. The animal proteins, i.e. the fish flour, are imported for 14 lei a kilogram. Thus, one kilogram of food costs 5-6 lei per hen. For obtaining 10 eggs, a hen is fed two kilograms of combined food that costs about 11 lei. Consequently, the cost of food represents 58%-62% of the price of eggs.
“The people think that the grains are cheap and the eggs should also be cheap. But the selling price of eggs in March is 11 lei, while the cost price is 16 lei. As the market relations are not developed, the egg producers work at a risk of 100%. We signed no contract with stores and nobody wants to sign such a contract. Therefore, we cannot be sure that we will gain or lose money in January or March,” said Ion Bazgu.
He added that the selling price is not raised by the producers. It depends on the supply and demand on market. Furthermore, about 58% of the eggs on the home market are produced by auxiliary farms and by farmers. Owing to the variations in daytime and nighttime temperatures, the hens start to molt and do not lay eggs. In that period the supply is poor and the prices grow.
