Impact of Climate Change on Egg Production in India and Price Behaviour of Eggs in Selected Markets of India

Abstract

The present study entitled “Impact of Climate Change on Egg Production in India and Price Behaviour of Eggs in Selected Markets of India” aims to study the impact of climatic variables such as temperature, rainfall and relative humidity on egg production in India and various components of prices of eggs in selected markets of India. Multiple regression analysis revealed that temperature has a negative effect and rainfall and relative humidity have a positive effect on egg production in India. Decomposition of prices of eggs to trend, seasonal, cyclical and irregular components was done using Minitab. The data on egg prices from June 2009 to May 2022 was obtained from National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) website. Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai are the four markets considered for the study. The average price per 100 eggs is highest in Mumbai (Rs.366.06) followed by Chennai (Rs.360.25), Bengaluru (Rs.348.52) and Delhi (Rs.341.17). the prices of eggs showed wide fluctuations and there is uniformity in prices of eggs across all the selected markets due to organized egg marketing. The prices of eggs in all the selected markets showed a highly significant increasing trend. The annual increase in egg prices was highest in the Mumbai market (Rs.1.57/100 eggs) and lowest in the Delhi market (Rs.1.35/100 eggs). The highest seasonal index was observed during the month of June in Bengaluru and Chennai markets and during the month of July in Delhi and Mumbai markets. In the month of April, the prices of eggs decreased due to their short shelf life because of summer whereas in the month of November the prices of eggs decreased due to an increase in arrivals of eggs. The highest price of eggs during the June and July months is due to an increase in the consumption of eggs. Egg prices do not have any price cycles and irregular variations are observed for all the markets considered under study. Government should take initiative to educate poultry farmers regarding the impact of climate change on egg production as well as prevailing egg prices in the market.