In different supermarkets located in the northern zone of Zapopan, a kilo of eggs costs up to 58 pesos, with which a bag of 30 costs 97.50.
“This last month it has not stopped rising. Last week it cost me 93 and go now”, says Angélica Ruiz, a resident of Zapopan.
In grocery stores the prices are lower. For example, in Colonia Jardines Alcalde, in Guadalajara, it is 45 pesos per kilo, and in Colonia Progreso, in the same municipality, at 44.
But in inland municipalities the blow to the family economy is stronger. For example, María Ruelas says that in Zacoalco de Torres he paid 48 pesos, and Mirna Villa points out that in Sayula he paid 53.
This means of communication published that in the last four months, the price of the egg has shown rises that have affected the population.
According to María de Jesús de la Mora, an academic at the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), it is expected to rise another 10 pesos before its stabilization begins next May.
Egg price impacts the family economy
The high cost of a kilo of eggs has reduced the spending of many families in the city. One of them is that of Angélica Ruiz, who says that money is getting less and less. “The problem is that when one thing doesn’t go up, the other goes up. For example, what I’m wearing for the week will be at least fifteen hundred pesos and you see the cart, you don’t even notice it”.
Last week, the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) gave a press conference to discuss the issue. The coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in International Business of the Centro Universitario de los Altos (CUAltos) explained that although Jalisco concentrates 55% of the national egg production, factors such as the winter season, the presence of bird flu in other entities of the country , organized crime and the beginning of Lent caused the cost to increase.
María de Jesús de la Mora, a UdeG academic, said that organized crime is a factor that affects the price of eggs and recalled that other agricultural products, such as avocados, have also been victims of these situations during their transfer. “It is a reality that carriers live every day, and it also affects the availability of the product, because it no longer reaches the end point and that slows down the supply chain, not only for eggs, but also for other products in the basic basket” , denounced.
The researchers urged citizens to consume eggs from local producers to avoid the price increase imposed by intermediaries, in addition to designing family budgets for the basic food basket and thus avoiding excessive family spending.
For his part, Dr. Juan Antonio Serratos Vidrio, a researcher at the CUAltos Department of Livestock and Agricultural Sciences, recommended that people purchase eggs from brands that guarantee food safety, that is, from certified farms, and advised against breeding birds in their homes, since it considered that if there is no correct sanitary control, it is possible that infection points are generated that affect health.
“It is something that worries us too much that a family has their animals to produce food, and that at a given moment, for some reason, they do not give them the corresponding protection and that is going to cause a disorder to the health of consumers,” declared the specialist.
Comparison by States
In the second half of February 2023, a kilo of eggs cost 49.84 pesos in Guadalajara, 48.17 pesos in Tepatitlán and 50.39 pesos nationwide, on average, according to the Institute of Statistical and Geographic Information (IIEG). By Entity, the highest cost was recorded in Sonora, and the lowest in Guerrero. On the other hand, this medium published that the average price per kilo of white eggs was 46.50 pesos, in the first week of February. The figure is striking because it is the highest average monthly cost since the year 2000 according to the records of the Ministry of Economy, which analyzes wholesale and retail prices in the main markets, such as Abastos.
THE INFORMER/ L. Martínez
Avian flu affects the price
Another factor that has influenced the increase in egg consumption is the price of guaranteeing food security after episodes of bird flu, highlighted Dr. Juan Antonio Serratos Vidrio, a researcher at the CUAltos Department of Livestock and Agricultural Sciences. “The costly biosecurity measures and the slaughter of birds in the region have decreased demand and, consequently, have increased prices,” he mentioned. He recalled that despite the fact that the Mexican poultry industry has experienced episodes with different strains of bird flu, efforts have been made to work on preventive vaccination processes.
“In June or July we had a few cases of avian influenza in areas where a preventive vaccination process for the infection was not carried out. Since 1994, Mexico has suffered from the H5N2 avian influenza problem, and in response to this situation, it has developed a vaccine, ”he stressed at the aforementioned press conference.
With the application of 20 thousand 788 doses, the first stage of vaccination to prevent AH5N1 avian influenza concluded, reported the Agency for Health, Safety and Food Quality of Jalisco (ASICA) on February 3.
In a statement, the state agency reported that the Entity has no active cases of the disease and that it is the first state nationwide to implement a massive vaccination campaign in backyard farms.
On January 4, 2023, the National Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica) lifted the internal quarantine imposed in 21 municipalities in the Los Altos de Jalisco region. The measure had started since November 2022 after cases of bird flu were confirmed on a farm in the municipality of San Miguel el Alto. After the detection of the first cases, 360,000 hens were slaughtered.
Chickens require follow-up vaccinations to avoid damage to health. THE INFORMER / File
Background curtain
Few products drop in price
Until the second half of February, only four products had lowered their prices before the Package Against Inflation and Famine (PACIC) was announced on May 4, 2022: onion (-37.6%), lemon (- 17.8%), chicken (-1%) and rice (-0.6%). Although the cost of lemons had an increase in the second week of February 2023, there has been a decrease in the accumulated variation since the second half of April 2022, prior to the announcement of this measure against inflation.
According to the Institute of Geographical and Statistical Information (IIEG), onions have an average price of 19.98 pesos per kilo, but Lorena Reyes, who frequently attends the Felipe Ángeles market, in the municipality of Guadalajara, agrees that the price of the onion has been going down. “Last week I bought it for five pesos, although it is often a stall that has low prices. The white onion is characterized by having a cost that does not exceed 10 pesos.
In that same comparison, the product that has risen the most is egg (29.7%), toilet soap (26.1%), tomato (26%), orange (25.7%) and edible vegetable oils and fats (18%).
In other words, they have had that percentage increase despite the announcement of the strategy to contain inflation.
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