Egg glut at Kantamanto: Unsold crates go to waste as demand plummets

A glut of eggs on the market is forcing wholesalers and retailers at Kantamanto in the Central Business District to watch crates go bad, with many struggling to stay afloat after months of falling demand.

Wholesalers say the situation is unprecedented. Eggs, once a fast-moving and affordable source of protein, are now piling up unsold.

“The system is choked. We don’t even know how to sell the eggs,” said Maame Serwaa, an executive member of the Egg Wholesalers Association.

According to her, a drop in bulk purchases – particularly from senior high schools – has contributed to the oversupply. Eggs supplied weekly by poultry farmers often remain unsold, and traders have no choice but to dispose of spoiled stock.

“When we receive eggs and are unable to sell within a week, we have to dispose of them because they get spoilt. Sometimes even the ones distributed to retailers go bad, and you cannot retrieve your money,” she said.

Some retailers have abandoned egg sales altogether and moved into other businesses, including second-hand clothing.

To minimise losses, some wholesalers have resorted to boiling eggs and selling them at reduced prices – sometimes as low as one for GH¢2 or three for GH¢5.

That coping strategy has sparked tension with kosua ne mako vendors, who traditionally sell boiled eggs with spicy pepper sauce.

Abigail Nkansa, a kosua ne mako vendor, said the price cuts were undermining her business. “When wholesalers sell three eggs for GH¢5, customers expect the same from us. When we say no, they refuse to buy,” she said.

She noted that while wholesalers remain her main suppliers, their new pricing approach is hurting small-scale vendors. “They are the ones we buy from, and they are the same people killing our business,” she lamented.

Ms Nkansa sells her eggs at GH¢3 for one or two for GH¢5, with pepper. Although the price of a crate has fallen from between GH¢70 and GH¢80 to GH¢45, she said sales remain low, adding that the market is now flooded with small‑sized eggs.

Another vendor, Maame Yaa, said fluctuating prices and customer expectations were eroding already thin profit margins. “We buy the small size eggs at GH¢35 per crate and sell at GH¢40, or buy at GH¢40 and sell at GH¢45. It is just GH¢5 profit, but customers still want it cheaper because they believe it is in abundance,” she explained.

Wholesaler Auntie Ama Asiedu defended the practice of boiling surplus eggs. “It is because of the abundance. Instead of letting them spoil, we boil some and sell,” she said.

She observed that food vendors, particularly Waakye sellers, are benefiting from the situation by buying eggs at reduced prices and reselling them for higher profit.