Even with table egg production continuing to be above year-earlier levels,wholesales egg prices strengthened in the July to November period, although remaining below the previous year. Wholesale prices for a dozen grade A large eggs in the New York market are expected to average $1.18 in fourth-quarter 2009,down 4 percent from the same period in 2008, but up over 20 cents per dozen from the third quarter. During 2009, prices averaged $1.03 per dozen, down about 25 cents from 2008. The strongest declines came in the first half of 2009 when prices averaged just under $1.00 per dozen, sharply lower than the $1.38 they averaged in the first half of 2008. Table egg production is expected to continue to expand in 2010 to about 6.5 billion dozen, but this growth is less than a 1-percent increase from 2009.
With broiler production still expected to be lower in fourth-quarter 2009 compared with the previous year, the fourth-quarter 2009 estimate for hatching egg production is also lower. Hatching egg production in fourth-quarter 2009 is forecast at 260 million dozen, down 7 million dozen or 3 percent from a year earlier. Hatching egg production in 2010 is expected to increase, roughly in line with expected growth in broiler production. The estimate for 2010 is 1.07 billion dozen, just over 1 percent higher, with most of the increase coming in the second half of the year.
Even with relatively strong prices in the United States, egg and egg product exports in November totaled 22.3 million dozen on a shell egg equivalent basis, 40 percent higher than the previous year. Total egg exports for all of 2009 are expected to total 240 million dozen, up 16 percent from the previous year. Over the first 11 months of 2009, shipments of table eggs for consumption totaled 67.4 million dozen, a 31 percent increase compared with the same period in 2008. The major markets for eggs for consumption are Canada and Hong Kong. These two countries imported 46.4 million dozen eggs from the United States, or 72 percent of our total shipments. Exports of shell eggs for hatching have totaled 46.6 million dozen over the first 11 months of 2009, down 11 percent from the same period in 2008 as broiler production declined in other countries. The major destinations for these products have been Canada and Mexico. After totaling 87.6 million dozen in January to November 2008, shipments of egg products in the same period in 2009 have been 19 percent higher (104.4 million dozen). Strong growth in egg product exports to a number of EU countries, especially Germany, has been the major factor
in the increase.
Source : USDA