On October 15th, the Taiwan Egg Business Association reported a significant oversupply of eggs in Taiwan, leading to a continuous drop in prices. Lin Tian-lai, the chairman of the association, announced a further price reduction of NT$3 per catty (about 600g), bringing the farm-gate price down to NT$21.5 per catty and the wholesale price to NT$31. This situation has even dipped below the levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when consumer demand was weak.
According to reports from various Taiwanese media, including China Times and United Daily News, the current oversupply amounts to approximately 1 million eggs daily. The Egg Production and Marketing Inspection Committee recently issued a warning about “serious oversupply,” leaving many egg farmers despairing over their losses.
Just a year ago, Taiwan faced an egg shortage crisis, and now the country is grappling with a sudden surplus. Critics are pointing fingers at the government’s short-sighted policies that exacerbated the situation.
Liu Wei-zhi, an executive director at the Taipei Egg Business Association, explained that in response to last year’s egg shortage, the agricultural department allowed excessive imports of breeding chickens, which has now resulted in overproduction. Huang Rong-zhen, head of the Taiwan Chicken Raising Association, noted that the government previously restricted the import of breeding hens to 180,000 but raised the cap to over 300,000 last year, indicating a failure in effective regulation.
Moreover, the lack of a price monitoring and alert system has come under fire. Zhang Li-shan, the county chief of Yunlin, emphasized that the surplus of breeding chickens and the absence of a sales alert mechanism are notable factors that need comprehensive review. Lei Li-fen, a professor in agricultural economics at National Taiwan University, suggested that relevant authorities should better forecast future production, demand, and price trends for eggs.
In the face of rising anger from egg farmers and public criticism, the government’s agricultural department has attributed the issue to consumer behavior. Chen Jun-ji, the department head, claimed months ago that the oversupply was due to a decline in egg consumption since last year. Department official Li Yi-qian echoed these sentiments, stating that the stagnation in the consumer market resulted in excessive egg production and suggested that the military and schools should increase their egg consumption.
However, the public is skeptical of this explanation. According to China Times, many netizens are pointing out that despite the oversupply, breakfast shops are still charging NT$15 to NT$20 for a single egg, and retail prices have not noticeably decreased. One commenter lamented, “When production was low, egg prices soared. Now that there’s a surplus, why haven’t prices dropped? The end prices only go up, while the farm prices collapse. Blaming consumers for not buying eggs is ridiculous.”
In response to the 2023 egg crisis, the government has not only imported millions of breeding chickens but also arranged for the import of over 150 million eggs, with more than 11 million still in stock.
