Ecuador’s poultry sector is experiencing a moment of contrast. On one hand, egg production has reached historically high levels, generating oversupply and pushing prices downward in major domestic markets. On the other, regional signals of opportunity are emerging. Colombia, a neighboring country and direct competitor, has met sanitary and regulatory requirements to export chicken eggs, opening a door Ecuador has not yet crossed but is beginning to consider.

In recent months, excess production in Ecuador has led to a significant drop in egg prices at both wholesale and retail levels. This has affected producer profitability, particularly for small and medium-sized operations, which face rising feed, energy, and logistics costs alongside increasingly tight margins. The challenge is not insufficient domestic demand, but the inability of the local market to absorb total supply.

Colombia’s experience is illustrative. After years of technical work, the country strengthened its poultry health system, met biosecurity standards, and implemented traceability protocols that now allow access to external markets. Beyond volume, the key takeaway is strategic. Colombia understood that during overproduction cycles, exports are not a complement but a stabilizing mechanism for the sector.

Does Ecuador have the conditions to follow a similar path? From a productive standpoint, yes. The country has installed capacity, technical expertise, and a developed poultry sector. The real challenge lies in the sanitary and regulatory framework. For chicken eggs to become an export product, Ecuador must advance international health certifications, disease control, farm standardization, origin traceability, and strict compliance with destination market requirements. Without this foundation, any export effort will remain fragile and sporadic.

Logistics also play a critical role. Eggs are a sensitive product with specific handling, packaging, and transit requirements. Exporting implies developing adapted logistics chains, identifying nearby markets with unmet demand, and exploring higher value-added formats such as liquid or processed eggs, which extend shelf life and reduce operational risk.

The current situation can become a strategic opportunity. Domestic oversupply combined with depressed prices reinforces the need to diversify destinations and rethink the poultry sector with a regional perspective. Opening external markets would help stabilize prices, reduce losses, and provide greater predictability for producers, while positioning Ecuador as a reliable food supplier in the region.

Turning chicken eggs into an export product is neither immediate nor simple, but it is not a distant idea. Colombia’s example demonstrates that it is achievable when the private sector, sanitary authorities, and trade policy are aligned. For Ecuador, the challenge is clear. Transform an overproduction crisis into an expansion opportunity by raising standards, professionalizing the value chain, and looking beyond borders.

If the right steps are taken, eggs could move from being solely a domestic consumption product to becoming a new component of Ecuador’s export basket.