Russia expands egg exports in a bid to mitigate oversupply crisis

Russian egg farmers continue to double down on their efforts to expand foreign sales as an oversupply crisis tightens its grip on the industry.

Over the past year, wholesale egg prices in Russia dropped by 26.5% to Rub 53.3 (US$0.64) per dozen, as calculated by the Russian state statistical service Rosstat. Market players have been repeatedly warned that the wholesale price has reached a critical level at which they threaten business profitability.

20% above domestic demand

During the first 7 months of the year, Russian egg production increased by 6.3% to 23.18 billion. The output continues rising against the odds. Existing production is already nearly 20% above the demand on the domestic market, estimated Dmitry Krasnov, senior analyst with Recsoft Consulting, a Moscow-based think tank.

Last year, quite a few farms in Russia expanded their flock of laying hens in response to high prices, Krasnov said, assuming that now due to the crisis farmers will have to downsize operations.

Exports and tech to extend shelf life in the spotlight

In 2025, Russia exported eggs primarily to 3 countries: Kazakhstan, which accounted for 43% of supplies; Mongolia, with a 28% share; and the UAE, with 21%.

Currently, Russian exporters are testing novel technologies of extending the shell life of their products, as the logistics factor largely constrains export opportunities, Konstantin Korneev, director of consulting firm Rincon Management, told local publication Agroinvestor. This process, Korneev added, will take some time, meaning that new technologies will unlikely make the difference for the Russian egg export in the foreseeable future.

Egg exports to the US in question

Early September, Russian state news outlet Ria Novosti reported that Russia exported the first batch of eggs to the US since 1992. Citing the data from the US Economic and Statistical Administration, Ria Novosti reported that the first shipment of eggs worth US$455,000 was delivered to the US.

However, it is not entirely clear whether the deal really happened. In a follow-up statement, the Russian state veterinary watchdog Rosselhoznadzor said it was not aware of any deliveries of eggs from a Russian farm to the US.

Under the Russian rules, samples of the products destined to export should first pass examination in a Rosselhoznadzor, which hasn’t happened, Rosselhoznadzor said.