China Egg Prices Soar 80% as Farmers Cut Production
China's egg prices have surged unusually since May, with June wholesale prices jumping about 80% year-on-year, hitting a 5-year high. The main cause is severe losses from last year's low prices, leading farmers to cut production and causing a supply shortage.
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- 📰 Published: June 10, 2026 at 19:14
- 🔍 Collected: June 10, 2026 at 19:25 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 10, 2026 at 19:27 (1 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 10) Entering the off-season, China's egg prices have risen abnormally since May. June wholesale prices have surged about 80% compared to the same period last year, hitting a new 5-year high. The main reason is that last year's low egg prices led to severe losses for farmers, who subsequently reduced production, causing a current supply crunch.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' "National Agricultural Product Wholesale Market Price Information System," egg wholesale prices across mainland China today are almost all above 10 yuan per kilogram (about NT$47), with some areas reaching as high as 15 yuan. The final retail price for eggs entering the market is another 20-30% higher, causing many Chinese citizens to complain on social media about the unaffordable prices.
Compiling reports from Chinese media such as Sina.com and Xinhua News Agency, China's domestic egg market experienced a rare explosive rise in May. According to monitoring data from "My Steel Network," the average egg price in major production areas soared from 3.87 yuan per jin (500 grams) at the beginning of May to 4.88 yuan at the end of the month, a monthly increase of 26.1% and a year-on-year increase of over 40%.
Entering June, the upward trend in egg prices has not stopped. The wholesale price of eggs at Beijing's Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market reached 5.5 yuan per jin at the beginning of the month, up another 26% from early May and nearly 80% higher than the same period last year, setting a new high for the same period in the past five years.
The reaction in the terminal retail market is more direct. A supermarket chain in Jinan reported egg prices changing "every day," rising from 4.99 yuan per jin the previous day to 5.29 yuan on June 1. In some distribution markets in Dezhou, Shandong, egg prices have broken through 5 yuan per jin, rising to between 5.18 yuan and 5.39 yuan. The national wholesale market egg price reached 10.56 yuan per kilogram (5.28 yuan per jin) on June 5, rising for five consecutive weeks.
A wholesaler at the Heima Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Dezhou, Shandong, said on the 8th that for a box of 30 jin of eggs, the price was still between 80 and 95 yuan at this time last year. It started rising from 90 yuan in early April this year, reaching 139 yuan the day before yesterday, 146 yuan yesterday, and 149 yuan today.
The report states that due to factors such as hotter weather and declining restaurant demand, May to June is usually the off-season for egg consumption in China, with prices generally trending downward. The reason for this year's counter-seasonal price increase is fundamentally a "production gap" caused by deep losses in 2024.
The report points out that China's layer chicken farming industry experienced a brutal pattern last year: "prolonged severe losses, a brief turnaround only in autumn, and a return to fatal losses at the end of the year." Egg prices repeatedly broke below the 3 yuan per jin mark throughout the year. Since the feed cost for one jin of eggs is about 3 yuan, plus labor and equipment depreciation, farmers fell into extreme losses. At the worst point, the expected loss per layer chicken was generally between 15 and 25 yuan.
Facing severe losses, Chinese layer farmers culled old hens early, selling them as broiler chickens at low prices before they reached the normal culling age (about 500 days). They even prematurely cleared out "middle-aged hens" aged 350 to 450 days, which are the main egg-laying force. In the second half of 2024, chick sales were dismal, with the number of chicks introduced dropping significantly by 10% to 15%.
The report mentions that while egg supply is currently tight, inventories have also been compressed to extreme levels. The latest survey shows that inventory in the production stage is only 0.6 days, and inventory in the circulation stage is only 0.73 days. This means "eggs are taken away almost as soon as they come out of the chicken coop, leaving traders with no stock to hoard."
In addition to farmers reducing production capacity, the report also notes that the stockpiling demand for the Dragon Boat Festival from late May to early June directly boosted demand, further exacerbating the already tight spot supply. Furthermore, as southern China enters the plum rain season in June, the high temperature and humidity cause the egg production rate of laying hens to drop by 3% to 8%, and also make egg storage more difficult. (Editor: Yang Shengru / Qiu Guoqiang) 1150610
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' "National Agricultural Product Wholesale Market Price Information System," egg wholesale prices across mainland China today are almost all above 10 yuan per kilogram (about NT$47), with some areas reaching as high as 15 yuan. The final retail price for eggs entering the market is another 20-30% higher, causing many Chinese citizens to complain on social media about the unaffordable prices.
Compiling reports from Chinese media such as Sina.com and Xinhua News Agency, China's domestic egg market experienced a rare explosive rise in May. According to monitoring data from "My Steel Network," the average egg price in major production areas soared from 3.87 yuan per jin (500 grams) at the beginning of May to 4.88 yuan at the end of the month, a monthly increase of 26.1% and a year-on-year increase of over 40%.
Entering June, the upward trend in egg prices has not stopped. The wholesale price of eggs at Beijing's Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market reached 5.5 yuan per jin at the beginning of the month, up another 26% from early May and nearly 80% higher than the same period last year, setting a new high for the same period in the past five years.
The reaction in the terminal retail market is more direct. A supermarket chain in Jinan reported egg prices changing "every day," rising from 4.99 yuan per jin the previous day to 5.29 yuan on June 1. In some distribution markets in Dezhou, Shandong, egg prices have broken through 5 yuan per jin, rising to between 5.18 yuan and 5.39 yuan. The national wholesale market egg price reached 10.56 yuan per kilogram (5.28 yuan per jin) on June 5, rising for five consecutive weeks.
A wholesaler at the Heima Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Dezhou, Shandong, said on the 8th that for a box of 30 jin of eggs, the price was still between 80 and 95 yuan at this time last year. It started rising from 90 yuan in early April this year, reaching 139 yuan the day before yesterday, 146 yuan yesterday, and 149 yuan today.
The report states that due to factors such as hotter weather and declining restaurant demand, May to June is usually the off-season for egg consumption in China, with prices generally trending downward. The reason for this year's counter-seasonal price increase is fundamentally a "production gap" caused by deep losses in 2024.
The report points out that China's layer chicken farming industry experienced a brutal pattern last year: "prolonged severe losses, a brief turnaround only in autumn, and a return to fatal losses at the end of the year." Egg prices repeatedly broke below the 3 yuan per jin mark throughout the year. Since the feed cost for one jin of eggs is about 3 yuan, plus labor and equipment depreciation, farmers fell into extreme losses. At the worst point, the expected loss per layer chicken was generally between 15 and 25 yuan.
Facing severe losses, Chinese layer farmers culled old hens early, selling them as broiler chickens at low prices before they reached the normal culling age (about 500 days). They even prematurely cleared out "middle-aged hens" aged 350 to 450 days, which are the main egg-laying force. In the second half of 2024, chick sales were dismal, with the number of chicks introduced dropping significantly by 10% to 15%.
The report mentions that while egg supply is currently tight, inventories have also been compressed to extreme levels. The latest survey shows that inventory in the production stage is only 0.6 days, and inventory in the circulation stage is only 0.73 days. This means "eggs are taken away almost as soon as they come out of the chicken coop, leaving traders with no stock to hoard."
In addition to farmers reducing production capacity, the report also notes that the stockpiling demand for the Dragon Boat Festival from late May to early June directly boosted demand, further exacerbating the already tight spot supply. Furthermore, as southern China enters the plum rain season in June, the high temperature and humidity cause the egg production rate of laying hens to drop by 3% to 8%, and also make egg storage more difficult. (Editor: Yang Shengru / Qiu Guoqiang) 1150610
FAQ
Why are egg prices soaring in China?
Due to severe losses from low egg prices in 2024, farmers cut production, leading to a supply shortage.
What is the current wholesale price of eggs?
As of June 2025, the national average is about 10.56 yuan per kg (about 5.28 yuan per jin).
How long will this price surge last?
It is likely to remain high for the rest of the year as it takes time for farmers to resume production.