By Saurav Sarkar
The BBC reported that an egg shortage in South Africa is likely to lead to price increases. The biggest reason for the shortfall is a major bird flu outbreak that has led to “millions of chickens” being killed in the country.
“Not only will consumers spend more for eggs but the rising price of eggs will affect all other food products where producers use eggs and other poultry products,” said the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PEJD) research organization to the BBC.
South Africa is an upper-middle-income country and has the second-largest economy in Africa. However, the BBC noted that more than half of South Africans live under the poverty line and are dependent on eggs as cheap sources of protein.
South Africans spend about 35 percent of their incomes on food said PEJD to the BBC.
Saurav Sarkar is a freelance writer and editor who covers political activism and labor movements. They live in Long Island, New York, and have also lived in New York City, New Delhi, London, and Washington, D.C. Follow them on Twitter @sauravthewriter and at sauravsarkar.com.
from the Globetrotter News Service