US Experiences Egg Scarcity, Government Opens Export Opportunities

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan), Andi Amran Sulaiman said the government was interested in exporting food commodities such as eggs to the United States (US) that experienced scarcity or deficits.

However, the top priority remains to meet domestic needs, especially in order to support nutritious food programs.

"We focus on fulfilling the nutritious food program first, but if it's excessive, we'll export it," he said at the Parliament Building, Jakarta, Thursday, March 6.

Launching from Time Magazine, the price of eggs in Uncle Sam's country is expected to skyrocket more than 40 percent this year, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Over the past 12 months, egg prices have risen in stages, from US$2.52 a dozen to large eggs Grade A in January 2024 to US$4.95 in January this year, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The increase was caused by the outbreak of bird flu (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza / HPAI). According to USDA, the outbreak of bird flu resulted in the destruction of 13.2 million poultry in December 2024, causing scarcity.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state would close the poultry market after the virus was detected in seven markets in her city starting February 7, 2025.

Due to the scarcity of eggs, the American restaurant chain Waffle House is willing to provide an additional 50 cents per egg. Meanwhile, large supermarket chains such as Trader Joe's, Costco, and Sprout have limited the number of egg cartons that customers can buy.

"While we hope that this price fluctuation is only temporary, we cannot predict how long this scarcity will last," he said in a statement to the Associated Press on February 4.