On Wednesday, the unit price of one egg was ₹ 6.75 in the wholesale market but crossed ₹ 8 in the retail market. | Photo credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
The skyrocketing prices of eggs are not only burning a hole in the pockets of ordinary consumers, but also of teachers who pay for their presence in lunch meals out of their own pockets. On Wednesday, the unit price of one egg was ₹ 6.75 in the wholesale market but crossed ₹ 8 in the retail market.
To prevent malnutrition among school children, students in government and aided schools from classes 1 to 10 are provided eggs, bananas and chikki as supplementary nutrients along with mid-day meal.
With the help of Azim Premji Foundation for Development (APF), steps were taken to provide eggs for six days in a week from September 2024. Bananas and chikki were provided to students who did not consume eggs. The government recently stopped the distribution of chikki due to poor quality. The distribution of eggs and bananas continued and student attendance at schools increased.
At present, the state government provides ₹6 per egg after adding transportation, shelling and other costs. However, the price of each egg in the market exceeded ₹8.
Since the government does not bear this additional cost, the teachers have to pay an additional amount for the eggs. In some schools, instead of eggs, only bananas are given to students.
“The price of eggs is increasing. All children in our school eat eggs. So despite the high price, we have to distribute eggs to children. Last month, I spent a total of ₹ 2,800 from my own money to distribute eggs. This amount will not be refunded by the department,” said a government Urdu school teacher from Bengaluru South district.
Why are eggs so expensive?
“Egg production declines during the rainy season and winter. This is the main reason for the rise in prices,” said V. Nagaraj, an egg distributor from Bengaluru.
“Since production is low in winter, we do not get eggs to buy from poultry farms. Moreover, the demand for eggs increases in December due to Christmas. Supplying eggs according to demand is also a challenge for us. So price hike is inevitable,” he added.
“We are buying eggs at retail prices. A request has been made to the officials of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) to adjust the price of eggs. They said they will bring our request to the notice of the government. But we have to pay extra for the eggs from our own pockets every month,” said the headmaster of a government high school in Bengaluru.
Ministry representatives were not available for comment.
Published – 10 Dec 2025 20:41 IST
