In the framework of World Day Egg (second Friday in October), the director of the Peruvian Poultry AssociationPedro José de Zavala, makes an analysis of how the sector is doing and the problems it faces at the moment.
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How is the sector doing a few months before the end of the year?
This 2024 has been a good year for the sector. This is a product that has marked periods: in summer it is not consumed much; During the school season, from approximately February to November, demand increases; and then, towards the end of the year, demand drops again. Furthermore, with 2024 we would already have two consecutive good years, after a tremendous crisis. We have recovered and the egg is enjoying people’s preference.
Is there more production?
It has recovered to previous production levels. It is difficult to know exactly how many producers there are on the market because it depends a lot on how much the farmer stretches the lifespan of the hens, but we estimate that there are approximately 25 million producer hens.
Are those figures that have already been handled before?
What happens is that there was a very large distortion in 2021 due to the pandemic, and what we see now is that production has reached the correct levels for supply and demand to converge.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, 238 eggs are consumed per Peruvian per year. Is it a lot or a little compared to other countries?
More or less is the amount of consumption that we calculate. It is an average consumption if compared to other countries in the region, so there is the possibility of growing more. The consumption leader now is Mexico.
Is there a tendency to consume more eggs for health reasons?
In the world, the view that eggs are the best protein that exists is increasingly consolidated. In fact, they say that it is the best protein after breast milk because it has a series of benefits for humans. The advantage, furthermore, is that it is a cheap and environmentally friendly protein. We would love for Qali Warma to give more space to a food like this, instead of what people are currently given, because consumption can help eliminate anemia in children, which is a scourge that hits the country.
For a time there was some fear of consuming it too often because of the cholesterol.
Before, one heard one’s grandfather say that eggs brought cholesterol problems, but that is not true, its consumption benefits the reduction of cholesterol. Today there is no nutritionist who does not recommend eating eggs, even three or four a day, which leads to increased demand in Peru and the world. To this we must add that this food is part of Peruvian gastronomy.
Explain to us about the problem in the sector regarding the import of eggs from Bolivia.
Bolivia is a country that in some way subsidizes eggs and some meats, but what is happening is that unscrupulous merchants from that country send them smuggled to the Peruvian market.
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What are the consequences of these actions?
They are leaving Bolivia without supplies, or increasing prices in that country. In the Peruvian case, you expose people to serious problems in terms of biosafety, and you also compete unfairly. With this, for now, the hardest hit are the Arequipa producers, while in Puno, Cusco, Moquegua, Tacna and Madre de Dios, more Bolivian eggs are consumed. What is not being considered is that this is a serious issue that can also affect
to the chicken.
What can be done about it?
Work has to be done between the authorities. The entities that must interact in this case are the National Police, Sunat and Senasa. Although some things have been done, the Government has to be more energetic, and even address this at a diplomatic level so that the Bolivian government does the same, since they give a subsidy that does not reach those who need it.
Is there much concern about that issue then?
It is the problem that worries us the most. The other thing we see is that although we have two good years, going forward what is going to happen is that farmers will start to have more chickens and if that happens, there will be overproduction of eggs, which could cause prices to drop and lead to the bankruptcy of the process.
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