Japan Egg Prices Soar As 16-M Birds Set To Be Culled

Egg prices are soaring in Japan as the current avian flu season sees a record 16 million birds marked for culling, impacting restaurants and households already struggling with inflation, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: As of March 2, the wholesale price per kilogram of medium-sized eggs was 335 yen ($2.40) in Tokyo, the highest ever since 1993 when data first became available.

Egg-laying hens make up more than 90% of birds in the process of being culled, according to the agriculture ministry, limiting the supply of eggs and pushing prices higher.

The current bird flu outbreak has spread at an unprecedented pace since the season began in October, with at least 80 cases at poultry firms in 26 of the country's 47 prefectures, Yomiuri Shimbun also reported.

As of March 2, the wholesale price per kilogram of medium-sized eggs was 335 yen ($2.40) in Tokyo, the highest ever since 1993 when data first became available, according to JA.Z-Tamago Co., the egg seller within the JA agricultural cooperative group.

Concerns about shortages are also growing, with an increasing number of restaurants opting to suspend offering egg-based dishes. It is expected to take at least six months until egg availability recovers to former levels.

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