India, Sept. 5 -- The old jingle - Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao anday - is becoming more difficult to follow. Farm-gate egg prices are hovering around Rs.7 a piece and retail prices are Rs.8.50-9 across much of the country, as the cheap protein source has been squeezed by multiple pressures, among them the ethanol policy and the West Asia war.

Wholesale prices have also been volatile. The National Egg Coordination Committee's average across its listed centres rose from Rs.5.07 in April to Rs.6.82 in July, before easing to Rs.5.46 in August. In Delhi, the monthly average moved from Rs.4.11 to Rs.6.70 over the same stretch, and then settled at Rs.5.47.

Maize, the same crop that feeds India's laying hens and its ethanol blending programme...