Nghe An: Balut eggs in short supply, record high prices

In Yen Thanh district, there are currently 47 incubators, supplying the market with about 150,000 balut eggs every day. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, owner of an incubator in Yen Thanh district, said that the price of balut eggs has increased to a record in recent days, with the selling price at the incubator increasing from 2,500 VND to 3,500 VND per egg in the past few days.

The reason for the sharp increase in the price of balut eggs, according to Ms. Thuy, is that during the period of social isolation according to Directive 16 of the Government, incubators in Yen Thanh in particular and the whole province in general did not receive eggs for incubation. When the social isolation order is about to end, it is also the time to enter summer, anticipating demand, and restaurants and eateries are expected to reopen, so the demand for balut eggs increases.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, owner of an incubator in Nam Thanh commune, checks the quality of balut eggs before selling them to the market. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Ms. Thuy's family's duck farm currently has 4,000 laying ducks, of which 3,000 lay eggs for incubation. With nearly 3,000 eggs at the farm, Ms. Thuy's incubator supplies the market with 3,000 balut eggs every day. Ms. Thuy said that at 3,500 VND/egg, balut eggs have reached a record high price.

Yen Thanh district is a locality with many advantages for raising ducks, and people have also invested a lot in egg hatching facilities. According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Thanh district, there are currently nearly 604 thousand ducks in the district, of which the flock lays more than 251 thousand ducks, with 47 hatching facilities. On this occasion, Yen Thanh supplies the market with about 150,000 balut eggs every day. With a selling price of 3,500 VND/balut egg, the hatchery owner has a high profit.

For incubator owners, just using a flashlight to shine directly on the egg will help them know if the egg is safe or not. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Nghe An currently has 3.5 million ducks, of which about 1.2 million are laying ducks. Ducks are raised by farmers in the following districts: Yen Thanh, Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Nghi Loc... Of which, the most raised ducks are in Yen Thanh and Quynh Luu districts./.