Egging Mexico On

Here in Mexico the cost of eggs has about doubled in the last few months. This all started after an avian flu breakout in Jalisco. Half the eggs produced in Mexico come from Jalisco. According to Reuters Mexico is the world’s number one consumer of eggs per capita. You can imagine the upset. Here in our Hood it is all the talk.

In an effort to stop price gouging “We will even drop tariffs so that there can be unrestricted imports of firstly, eggs for industrial use, and secondly, table eggs if there is not a change in the behavior of producers and retailers,” Economy Minister Bruno Ferrari has threatened.

We heard these kinds of threatened actions a couple years ago when the price of tortillas was going up dramatically due to corn being diverted for the production of ethanol. Tortilla prices increased substantially and did not roll back as most likely will be the case with the eggs.

The government rhetoric, we suppose, is to keep the masses from storming the palace – it worked with the tortillas.

We are starting to hear rumblings of bad economy here about. The other day the motorcycle repair guy mentioned it. Mexico has been slow on the uptake of grousing about a slow economy. There is little room for belt tightening here in the trenches of Mexico. The citizenry has been scrambling to survive rampant inflation, adding eggs to the mix could be a breaking point. Stay Tuned!

  • Debi Kuhn

    I too have noticed the rise in egg prices, even all the way over here on the Yucatan. But hadn’t heard about the avian flu breakout in Jalisco. drat!

  • http://vivaveracruz.com/blog John Calypso

    Debi – yes indeed an avian flu outbreak is the root cause – amid newspaper headlines proclaiming an “egg crisis” and reports blaming price gouging for much of the increase. They love the gouge opportunity.

  • Tancho

    The temporary increases never ever return down, so I guess we will have to get use to it. Price of fish has doubled here in the last 6moths except for the Mojarra or the small white fish.
    Get use to , NOB they say that inflation is only 4%, looking at advertisements on the local California paper online show more like 20-40% in the price increases of items…..but that is just rising prices not inflation according to Washington…. Go figure.
    I guess I will get a few more chickens.

  • http://vivaveracruz.com/blog John Calypso


    …but that is just rising prices not inflation according to Washington”. I’m confused – isn’t that what inflation is “rising prices”?

  • Steve Cotton

    Oh, the puns are killing me. One yolk after another.

  • http://vivaveracruz.com/blog John Calypso

    Yes, I know – the lowest form of humor – what can I say. On that note, which did come first?

  • http://onesmallvoz.com/ One Small Voz

    We too have noted the egg price point increase. Still very affordable, compared to the cost of food NOB.

    “There is little room for belt tightening here in the trenches of Mexico.” – How about the fancy quinceneras, bodas, fiestas? And fireworks! Put those on the chopping block and I’m sure that will more than compensate the cost of eggs. :)

  • http://vivaveracruz.com/blog John Calypso

    Affordable if you can afford a doubling in cost of a food staple when your wages have not gone up in 5 years. Mexicans could care less what things cost in the U.S. as a comparison.

    Most of the celebrations are funded by the better-off amongst us (of which there are but few). Quincenaras and weddings are often saved for over many years; and we have noticed a distinct reduction in celebrations generally – not as many $400-$600 (USD) a night disco trucks in the Hood.

  • http://garydenness.co.uk/ Gary Denness

    I’m pretty sure it’ll all seem ridiculously cheap when I return. Right up till when I have to start paying for it on a Mexican wage….

    But aside from eggs, most of what I read about the Mexican economy is fairly positive. Decent growth etc. It’s not all sunshine and happy days over there? Still…it can’t be any worse than it is here. My concern would be, will it get worse than it is here?

  • http://vivaveracruz.com/blog John Calypso

    Regardless of the economies – Mexico will be happy to have you and Mrs. P back. Yes, things could get worse – then again… ;-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/alex.sheiba Alexa Sheiba

    I had just started buying eggs from the ladies at the market who bring them from their ‘ranchos’, so I totally missed the big egg scandal! The ladies charged 3 pesos per egg (and oh MY, they were delicious!…) Now I wonder if they`ll raise their prices when they hear about this!! Ni modo!

  • http://vivaveracruz.com/blog John Calypso

    Alexa – I doubt they will go up – Eggs generally have been 1 peso and now are 2 pesos. You are paying top peso – I suspect they will absorb the increase that doesn’t really relate to their free range flocksters production. I’m sure they love your business.

  • Croft Randle

    It is the same everywhere. It rains in Columbia so the price of coffee goes up by 50%. It stops raining and prices drop back by only 10% and stay there. It is a plot!

  • John Calypso


    It is a plot”

    An excuse in any case. In our minds a flimsy excuse ;-)

  • http://garydenness.co.uk/ Gary Denness

    The jokes have been eggselent. Keep ‘em coming.