29.03.2025 10:51
Due to the avian influenza outbreak in the United States, Turkey, along with many other countries, has started purchasing thousands of tons of eggs quickly and unconditionally. Following these sales, although Turkey has taken some measures to protect domestic market conditions, egg prices have increased by 15% in the last week.
Turkey exported around 80,000 tons of eggs to the USA, where the supply of eggs has decreased due to the bird flu outbreak and prices have skyrocketed. However, while this export helped lower egg prices in the USA, it caused prices to rise in Turkey.
US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins stated that they imported eggs from Turkey and South Korea to alleviate the supply shortage caused by bird flu, which has led to rising egg prices nationwide, and that they were in talks with other countries regarding egg imports. This statement was almost a harbinger of what would happen with the 80,000 tons of egg exports.
MEASURES CAME IN QUICK SUCCESSION
As the large-scale egg exports from Turkey to the USA began, the Ministry of Trade took two consecutive measures to prevent price increases in the domestic market. First, a fund of 50 cents per kilogram was introduced for egg exports with a Presidential Decision published in the Official Gazette dated February 25, 2025. The fund came into effect on February 26, 2025. According to the Presidential Decision published in the Official Gazette, a deduction equivalent to 50 cents per kilogram in Turkish Lira was decided to be applied for egg exports under the Price Stabilization Support Fund (DFIF).
However, despite the import fund decision from Turkey, the USA insisted on purchasing eggs from Turkey and South Korea without any conditions. In response, the Ministry of Trade increased the fund as a second measure. In this context, the deduction amount to be applied for the export of table eggs was raised from $0.5 to $1.5 per kilogram with a Presidential Decision.
PRICES SOARED
However, despite the measures taken, the impact of the USA reflected as a price increase in egg prices. The price of a 30-egg carton, which was sold for 170 lira in chain supermarkets, was raised to 195 lira. Thus, the same type and size of eggs, which were sold for 157 lira in 2025, first increased to 170 lira. The price of the same carton saw another 15% increase starting from March 1. Another noteworthy point was that three chain supermarkets raised their prices on the same day.