Mumbai: A single egg now costs Rs 10. The wholesale price of eggs rose to a record high of Rs 780 per 100 pieces in the city on Wednesday. Retail rates shot to Rs 110-120 per dozen citywide, including Andheri West, Pali Hill, Bandra and Nagpada.Retail prices of eggs had risen to Rs 96-110 per dozen in Jan at a time when the wholesale rate was Rs 710 per 100 pieces. Now at Rs 780, retailers are wary of raising rates correspondingly high lest buyers stop consumption.“The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), which determines rates, pegged the price at Rs 780 per 100, which is a record,” said Altaf Ahmed Khan of Ahmed Eggs Merchant, Bandra. “Wholesalers are selling for Rs 8 apiece, which works out to Rs 96 per dozen, while retailers in Bandra are charging Rs 10 per egg or Rs 120 a dozen. Shops in Jogeshwari are charging Rs 9 per piece or Rs 108 a dozen. Prices are driven by high demand, particularly because the fasting season of Shravan is coming up, the high cost of maize and corn feed for chicken, as well as soaring transportation costs.”On Thursday in Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri, the price of eggs was Rs 110 per dozen, while retailers in Nagpada were charging Rs 108-120, said Mustafa Kheriwala of Eggs Corner.Abdul Rahim of House of Eggs Mahim said, “The recent heavy rain across northern India boosted demand for eggs. As a result, stock was being diverted there. At present, shops in Bandra are selling for Rs 120. Although the wholesale rate is Rs 94 per dozen, I am still charging only Rs 99 in retail, foregoing all profit. I feel embarrassed to peg the price in three digits (at Rs 100) since it is a psychological barrier that pushes buyers away. But if a single egg breaks, it costs me a loss of Rs 8.” Rahim said consumers are buying six eggs where they earlier purchased a dozen. “Eggs are a basic source of protein for poor families,” he said. “We expect rates to reduce soon.”India’s retail food inflation climbed to 5.3% in June 2026, marking the highest level since Jan 2025.
