Golden days for eggs : Price, demand surges due to inclusion in Covid-treatment diet plan 

Wada: The demand for eggs has increased in the last two months, so has the prices of the eggs. The price rise has brought huge relief to traders who suffered huge losses in the early days of the Coronavirus. Now coronavirus itself has led to an increase in price as demand went up for protein rich eggs which helps boost the immune system.

In Khanivali, Savroli, Sasane, Nare and Nane villages of the Vada taluka, few youngsters and retired employees have started rearing hens for the last six to seven years. These traders suffered huge losses in the early days of the Coronavirus, and are now reaping the harvest four months after the Coronavirus due to the rise in egg prices. The demand for eggs has doubled in the last two months. The price of eggs is between five and a half to six rupees. Eggs are being sold in retail shops for seven to seven and a half rupees. This is the first time in the last six years that these traders have seen the price rise

Ananta Dundu Patil, a retired employee of Mauje Khanivali in Wada taluka invested all his income in the hen rearing business six years ago. Patil had to face many ups and downs to make balance between expenses and prices. However, he continued this business with great perseverance which has now given him fruits. He is receiving steady income from this business. They have ten thousand laying hens and rear eight and a half to nine thousand eggs daily.

John DiCosta has been running this business in Savroli and Maswan (Palghar) for the last ten years. In both these places, he has reared 65,000 hens and get an average of 55,000 to 57,000 eggs per day. All these eggs are available in Boisar, Palghar, Vasai and Bhiwandi.

Rupesh Mhatre has reared ten thousand hens for this business at Sasane. In the last three years of business, he made a good profit at the beginning. However, Mhatre said that coronavirus, which began in March this year, had hit the business hard in starting but now it has got back on track.

Corona’s early days were very deadly for this business as the egg rearing business had been in crisis for two months due to rumors that corona was spread from chicken and eggs. The price of eggs declined to 2 Rs. As many as 65,000 hens laying eggs at John DiCosta’s poultry farms in Savroli and Maswan died due to untimely supply of food due to untimely supply of food.

Fear of coronavirus has led to a huge increase in demand for eggs because eggs are beneficial for boosting the immune system. Today an egg is being sold in a retail shop for seven and a half rupees.

The daily rate of eggs is decided by a national level committee. This rate must be constant for a fortnight or a month but that is not the case. These low-to-high rates also lead to huge losses. Rupesh Mhatre, a trader, said that the lack of timely supply of food due to Corona’s lockdown was affecting the business.