Poultry eggs contain many nutrients that are good for health, so they are called "superfoods". In the US market, this item is currently in high demand, soaring to 4.95 USD/box of 12 eggs (equivalent to 10,600 VND/egg).

This price has doubled compared to August 2023, and is the sharpest increase since the bird flu outbreak in the country in 2015.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics also said that people in many states have to spend more than 10 USD (about 257,000 VND) to buy a carton of 12 eggs.

Despite the sky-high prices, people in some areas of the US still have difficulty buying eggs due to scarcity. Not to mention, supermarkets and stores are limiting the number of eggs customers can buy at a time.

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Eggs are expensive in the US, but are sold at dirt cheap prices in Vietnam. Photo: Tam An

In contrast to the US market, in our country, poultry eggs are cheap items, sold in abundance in stores, supermarkets, traditional markets and online markets.

A recent report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shows that by 2024, the total poultry herd in the country will increase to 575.1 million, including both broilers and laying hens. Egg production will increase by 5%, soaring to 20.2 billion eggs.

The price of poultry eggs has remained stable over the past year. Chicken eggs cost VND1,800-2,100/egg, while duck eggs range from VND2,200-2,800/egg.

From the end of June 2024, the price of chicken eggs increased slightly to 2,100-2,150 VND/egg, while the price of duck eggs tended to decrease slightly. In the last months of the year, the price of this superfood fluctuated up and down depending on the time and region, but there were no significant fluctuations.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also forecasts that poultry egg production in 2025 will reach 21 billion eggs - the highest level ever.

However, after the Lunar New Year holiday until now, farms have a large amount of poultry eggs left and have to sell them at cheap prices.

Accordingly, not only in supermarkets and online markets but also on the sidewalks of many streets, poultry eggs are piled up and sold everywhere at the price of 99,000-100,000 VND/set of 50 eggs, or only 2,000 VND/egg.

An agricultural store in Dong Da (Hanoi), instead of just selling fruit, has recently started selling chicken eggs in sets of 50 for 100,000 VND.

The store’s staff said that because eggs are cheap, customers are ordering a lot. There are days when the truck delivers up to 10,000 eggs, but it’s still not enough to meet the orders.

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Chicken eggs are sold everywhere on many streets in Hanoi. Photo: Tam An

Sharing with VietNamNet on the afternoon of February 18, Mr. Tran Van Manh - owner of a farm raising more than 10,000 egg-laying chickens in Kinh Mon (Hai Duong) - said that in recent years, the price of poultry eggs has been quite unstable. At peak times, the price is nearly 2,800 VND/egg, while at low times, the price is only over 1,000 VND/egg depending on the type.

At this time, his family's farm raises 11,000 laying hens and pullets. However, egg prices have dropped and are at rock bottom, so the loss is quite heavy. Because, if the hens lay at a high rate, the price must be 1,500 VND/egg to break even. However, the chickens on the farm are nearing the end of their egg-laying period, so the egg-laying rate is quite low.

“Egyptian and red eggs are both priced at VND1,300 per egg. This price has been maintained for about a month now with no sign of increasing again,” he said, adding that even though the eggs are dirt cheap, they are still very difficult to sell.

Regarding the unusually low price of eggs this time, he said the main reason is the law of supply and demand in the market. Accordingly, before and after Tet is usually the time when egg prices are the cheapest of the year.

Specifically, starting from the 20th of the 12th lunar month every year, the amount of poultry eggs that companies import for production will decrease, or even stop completely because the Tet production season has ended. Students return home for Tet, so many collective kitchens are also closed.

This year’s Lunar New Year holiday lasted nine days, production stopped, so the poultry egg market almost “frozen”. Not to mention, incubators also reduced their capacity. While poultry still laid eggs regularly, the amount of unsold eggs increased.

After Tet, production and business activities resumed, collective kitchens opened but only consumed a certain amount. Therefore, supply exceeded demand, egg prices will be cheap.

“At the current price, poultry eggs are cheaper than vegetables in the market,” he shared.

Chicken eggs are being sold in Hanoi at super cheap prices, starting at only 1,500 VND each. Meanwhile, due to a shortage of supply, pork is being bought by traders at sky-high prices.