SOURCE LOOPNEWS: Antigua and Barbuda’s government and local egg producers have struck a deal to prevent a price hike that cracked open a contentious debate on egg affordability.
For the next 45 days, your morning omelette won’t cost you that much extra, as the wholesale price of eggs will be $13 per dozen.
This eleventh-hour agreement comes after weeks of heated negotiations that had the government and farmers walking on eggshells.
The Layer Farmers Association had initially proposed to raise prices to $14 per dozen – a move that would have seen retail prices soar to a wallet-pinching $18-19. This potential 40% increase over two years left a bad taste in consumers’ mouths and had the government crying foul.
In response to the farmers’ demands, the government had threatened to break open the local monopoly and import eggs to keep prices from going over easy. This high-stakes game of chicken seemed poised to scramble the entire local egg industry.
However, cooler heads prevailed during a Cabinet meeting on September 25. Anthony Smith, Minister for Agriculture, who chairs a special working group on egg pricing, reported that both parties agreed to work together.
Over the next month and a half, government officials and farmer representatives will engage in a review and analysis of local egg production costs. They hope this collaboration will lead to a solution that doesn’t leave farmers with egg on their face or consumers feeling poached.
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The organic brown eggs have gone from $18 to $21.60. Price gouging at it’s best. Shame on that local egg dealer.
So many puns…
It can’t all be price gouging, the effects of inflation has to be the primary factor.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (the fact-finding agency of the U.S. Department of Labor), retail egg prices in the US went up by 28% in August compared to the same month last year. A dozen, grade A eggs in August 2024 averaged $3.20 (USD) compared to $2.00 (USD) in August 2023. These stats are all online. The average price in the states fluctuate wildly and can rise and fall sometimes significantly month-over-month or quarter-over-quarter.
I doubt egg prices ever fall in Antigua but the life of a local farmer must be a challenging one, especially over the last few years. Still, I am a firm believer in competition being a good thing for the consumer so if I had a say in the matter, I would open up the market to importers which would hopefully motivate the local egg producers to provide a better product and a better price.
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