Monrovia — Eggs, a major source of protein for the Liberian population, are now scarce and expensive. A single egg is sold at the same price as a cup of rice, and for many Liberian families, it is not worth buying an egg when they can buy a cup of rice for the same price - the nation's staple food.
Ma Mary, an elderly woman who sells cooked food to make ends meet, vowed never to buy eggs until the price comes down.
"I cannot buy a single egg for L$50.00 when that money can buy me a cup of rice for my children to eat. I will wait for the egg price to reduce before I buy it, but for now, I would rather buy rice than waste my money buying eggs," said Ma Mary.
The scarcity of eggs on the Liberian market is alarming, with a single egg being sold at L$50.00, while at some places, it is sold at L$60.00.
Fawaz and Sons, a store at the Rally Time Market, had some crates of eggs, and the shopkeeper who only identified himself as Reuben said the egg price is going up because of the war in Ukraine.
"Many of the eggs used to come from Ukraine in the past, and each egg at the time used to cost L$30.00, but since the war started in Ukraine, eggs stopped coming from there, so the price is high. We used to buy a crate of eggs for US$3.50, but now we are buying it for US$6.50, and we sell it for US$7.00, which is about L$1,000," he said.
Reuben suggested that considering the current situation, there is a need for the government to reduce tariffs on eggs and other goods during this time of crisis.
"If you have to pay over US$16,000 to clear one container from the Free Port of Monrovia, then how do you expect people to sell goods when the taxes are so high? So when the government reduces the taxes, at least the price of eggs will come down a little," he said.
A Lebanese business, Fouani Brothers, one of the importers of eggs into the Liberian market, also blamed the world market for the high price of eggs.
The importers told FrontPageAfrica that they now sell a carton of eggs for US$68.00, up from US$42.00 prior to the scarcity.
The Communication Director at the Ministry of Commerce, Mr. Jacob Parley, said he could not comment on the matter because the Ministry's Statistics Officer was not available to provide any information on the price increment of the commodity.
With the high price increase, Kpanah Hena, who sells eggs and other provisions, said selling eggs nowadays is a risk because the demand has drastically dropped. She said she used to sell three crates daily when the price was L$30 for a single egg, but with the new price of L$50, she barely sells a crate.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"When I started selling eggs, I never used to buy them by crates. I used to buy a half carton containing six crates, which used to cost US$25.00 to $28.00. Back then, we used to sell one egg for L$25.00 or L$30.00. But now, a half carton of eggs is sold for almost US$43.00, and I cannot afford it. So, I am buying a crate of eggs for LD$1,000, and I can sell each egg for L$50.00. However, the selling is going slow because I can sell one crate of eggs for three days, unlike before when I used to sell three crates per day," said Kpanah.
She appealed to the government to support large-scale agriculture for those engaged in poultry to enable them to supply the Liberian market. She said importers often tell them that Liberia is not producing its own eggs but is importing them from Europe. And when she reads on the egg carton, it says it's from Ukraine.
"A country without agriculture that relies on imported food cannot feed itself. Nowadays, in Liberia, many people want to do white-collar jobs. People who are going to school and learning agriculture do not have the land to grow food because land ownership is a problem," she said.
Many of the stores in Rally Time Market did not have eggs, as FrontPageAfrica observed. Rally Time Business Center, whose owner did not want to be named, said the egg carton is too expensive, and he stands the risk of losing business since many people are no longer buying eggs due to the high price."
