EVEN eggs, a main staple in Filipino meals, are affected by the prevailing El Niño phenomenon.
In a radio interview, Egg Board president Francis Uyehura said the extreme heat is taking a toll on the production, as well as sizes of egg, especially as chickens eat less than usual due to the hot weather.
Aside from the El Niño or dry spell, the country is experiencing intense heat due to the summer season.
“Ang malaking epekto po nito… ay ‘yung paghina ng pagkain ng ating mga alagang manok. Ang resulta po nito ay ‘yung pagbaba ng egg production at ‘yung significant na pagliit ng mga sizes (ng itlog). ‘Yung distribution po ng mga sizes ng mga itlog na nakukuha natin ay nagkakaroon ng imbalance. Mas marami po ‘yung mas maliliit kesa sa malalaki ng sizes ng itlog,” he said.
(The big effect of this… is the weakening of the food of our pet chickens. The result of this is the decrease in egg production and the significant reduction in sizes (of eggs). The distribution of the sizes of the eggs that we get is imbalanced. There are more smaller egg sizes than large ones.)
“Also, malaki rin po ‘yung ating problema sa pagtaas ng mortality (Also, we have a big problem with the increase in mortality of chickens) because of heat stroke,” he added.
Uyehura said the production of smaller eggs also resulted in the price increase of bigger sized eggs.
He said the prices of extra small to medium sized eggs continue to go down due to oversupply.
“Nagsimula bumaba (prices of eggs) noong late January. Pagkatapos ng holiday season, until now continuously bumababa ang presyo. We are hoping na mag stabilize and presyo by April to May,” said Uyehura.
(The prices of eggs started to drop in late January. After the holiday season and until now, the price has been continuously decreasing. We are hoping to see a stabilized price by April to May.)
Uyehura reiterated, though, that the quality of eggs, especially its nutritional value, remains unchanged.
He also noted that the size of an egg is not classified by its visual features but by its standard weight.
“Kaya meron itlog na maliit pero mabigat at malaki na itlog pero magaan,” he said.
(There is an egg that is small but heavy and a large egg that is light.)
In a situational report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that as of April 19, the country incurred an estimated P1.236 billion worth of damage to the agriculture sector.
Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. earlier said that the prevailing El Niño phenomenon or dry spell may persist until August 2024. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)