Egg prices break all-time high in Indonesia, bulk social aid purchases blamed

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): The price of chicken eggs at the consumer level is up nearly a quarter from last year, setting a new record for the staple food and far exceeding the general inflation rate, as industry representatives blame government social aid programmes for causing a rapid spike in demand.

Data from Bank Indonesia (BI) shows that the national average price of chicken eggs in traditional markets was Rp 30,850 (US$2.08) per kg as of Tuesday, up 21.9 per cent year-on-year (yoy) and 5.1 per cent month-to-month (mtm).