In a startling turn of events, the nation's aquaculture and poultry industry have been rocked by an unprecedented slump in beef prices over the past three weeks.
This unforeseen downturn has resulted in a significant and unsettling drop in prices of cultured fish, farm eggs and chicken though their production cost increased amid rocketing surge in feed prices, said sector insiders.
Beef prices dropped to Tk 500-700 a kg across the country in the last three weeks from Tk650-820 a kg earlier.
A few meat traders in Bogura and Dhaka led to the cut in beef prices by introducing sales of 'economic beef'--meat mixed with bones, lung, fat and other junks of a slaughtered cattle, according to sources.
Visiting three kitchen markets in the city, the FE found prices of cultured pangas, ruhi, katla, tilapia, koi, pabda and other fish showed Tk50-100 a kg plunge during the period.
Cultured pangas retailed at Tk 160-200, tilapia at Tk 170-200, koi at Tk180-250, pabda at Tk350-450, ruhi, katla and kalibaus at Tk270-380 a kg.
Meanwhile, the producers fell in trouble doubly amid the further surge in feed prices.
Nasim Sarker, a Natore-based fish producer, told the FE that feed prices increased to above Tk 73 a kg marking Tk 5.0 a kg further hike.
He said a pangas, weighing 1,500 grams, would consume two kgs of feed in 90-100 days.
Its price dropped to Tk105-110 a kg now which was Tk 145-150 a kg two weeks back, he said.
"I have ruhi, katla and kalbaus fish in may two bigha (66 decimals)pond," he said.
Ruhi is available at Tk220-300 a kg based on size in Dhaka now which was Tk 60-360 a kg earlier, he said.
Sumon Haoladar, president of the Poultry Association of Bangladesh, told the FE that farm owners are witnessing dull business during the current "festival and marriage season".
He said production cost has increased by 10-12 per cent further in last one and a half months when market price of eggs and chicken fell by 20 per cent.
He said a framer is now selling broiler chicken at the rate of Tk128 a kg, whereas the production cost as per the calculation of the ministry of fisheries and livestock is above Tk160.
He added the framers are selling an egg at Tk8.0-8.5 at the farm level against the production cost of Tk10.50 minimum.
He said the government must intervene to reduce the feed prices as well as fixed logical prices of beef.
Value chain expert Prof Rashidul Hasan said beef is usually the lead deciding factor of protein items in Bangladesh.
He commented that the recent reduction in beef prices has been possible only for minimising its quality.
The drop ultimately has pushed up demand for beef lessening requirement of other protein items like broiler chicken, eggs, cultured fish, he said.
He also said cattle prices have dropped drastically in the northern and north-western regions in the last one and half months. "The government should verify whether the fall is natural or there is something aberrant," he said.
Apart from the poultry birds and cultured fish, he said, this abnormal beef market might also hurt the dairy sector itself, he said. He also said the earlier higher price of beef was also not justifiable considering prices of cattle.
The government should immediately conduct a market research involving the agencies concerned like the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) to fix a logical price of the item, he said. According to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), broiler chicken prices fell by 16-18 per cent and egg prices by 22 per cent in the last one month when beef price showed a 12-14 per cent plunge.
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