Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 18 ISSUE 1
Written by Agatha POPESCU

The purpose of the paper was to analyze the main aspects and trends in the EU an Romania's egg market based on the Eurostat and National Institute of Statistics data. The dynamics of laying hens, egg production, consumption, price and trade have been the main indicators analyzed in this study pointing out the problems in the Romanian egg market and the differences compared to the EU market mainly regarding egg price. The EU egg market is facing with a relatively stable egg production, 90 % intra-EU export, 20 % extra-EU imports, a slight decline of the egg price, but large variations from a country to another. The egg sector is subsidized in almost all the EU countries, except Romania. This helps the breeders from the subsidized countries to have a smaller production cost and a high economic efficiency selling at a higher price. The EU egg trade balance is a positive one, the EU being one of the most important egg producer and exporter in the world. In Romania, the laying hen number and egg production declined because of high price for farm inputs, the movement from the cage system to the barn and free range systems. to reduce production cost. Egg price has increased, but it is not at the average EU level, being influenced by seasonality of production and offer/demand ratio. Egg price declines in the warm season when production is higher, and increases in the fall-winter season when production is lower but the demand is higher. The inflow of imports determine Romanian producers to reduce the selling price. Romania's egg trade balance is still a positive one, but the imports have an increasing trend. This situation imposes a new strategy at the EU level to assure a loyal competition among all the producers, and to export more eggs to the extra-EU countries and assure a better consumer protection. In Romania, the Government must allot subsidies to support the egg sector, and the breeders must pay attention to egg quality, production cost and intensify export.

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