21.03.2025 14:43
The president of YUM-BİR, İbrahim Afyon, explained how the decline in egg production and the high-cost egg imports from the USA are affecting prices in the domestic market. He expressed concerns about the surplus production in Turkey in the event that the American dream comes to an end.
The President of the Egg Producers Central Union (YUM-BİR), İbrahim Afyon, stated that the U.S. is purchasing high-priced eggs by accepting all conditions regarding additional tariffs, which has resulted in price increases in the domestic market as well.
Afyon noted that according to the "Poultry Production" data for January of this year released by TÜİK, chicken egg production has decreased by 10.1%, falling to 1 billion 652 million 615 thousand eggs.
"THEY ACCEPT ALL CONDITIONS"
Afyon pointed out that the decrease in the number of chickens due to avian influenza, which started in October and continued in November, has affected the decline in egg production. He explained that they are trying to compensate for the loss of productivity by replacing 15-20% instead. Noting the fluctuations in egg prices recently, Afyon said: "The U.S. is acting aggressively in shipments at the moment. Instead of pulling a lot of products, they are pulling high-priced ones. They are buying eggs by accepting all conditions and additional tariffs. When the U.S. sets a high price, even if they buy a small amount, the domestic market tries to adjust to those prices. That’s why prices are climbing." He added that when prices in the global market reach reasonable levels, they will also follow suit.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE PRODUCTION SURPLUS WHEN THE U.S. DREAM ENDS?
Afyon emphasized that this situation is being managed somewhat with a focus on profit in the domestic market, stating, "The market is trying to shape itself with the attitude of the supermarkets. We are trying to keep it under control. Once the conditions in the U.S. stabilize, the domestic market will also return to normal. When the U.S. dream ends, we will face the problem of where to dispose of the production surplus when we are left to ourselves." He also mentioned that according to the "Agricultural Products Producer Price Index" (Agricultural-PPI) announced by TÜİK for February 2025, the price increase for chicken eggs was approximately 8% month-on-month in February. In the first two months of the year, producer prices for eggs had risen by 17%. The price of eggs, which closed the year at 3.51 lira, had risen to 4.10 lira with the increase in the last two months.