A worker unloads crates of eggs from a truck at Kaptan Bazar in the city on Friday. The prices of eggs have started to cool off following steps taken by the government. — FE photo 
Egg prices witnessed a major decline, while brinjal, onion, chilli, garlic and cucumber prices rose notably in the market this week, intensifying woes of the commoners.
Chicken, fish and red- meat prices remained at their previous highs, making these items hard to buy for low-and middle-income people, according to kitchen-market sources.
Eggs price shot up to Tk 15 a piece or Tk 180 a dozen at the beginning of this week, marking Tk 20-25 hike a dozen. The price volatility continued until August 15, and then prices started declining from August 16 amid intervention of different government agencies.
On August 13, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) announced that it would permit egg import, if the volatility persists.
On the same day, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL) proposed Tk 12 each as the maximum retail price (MRP) of egg, considering production cost of Tk 10.5 each.
The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) called on all parties of the poultry sector - including the leading companies, wholesalers from the city's Tejgaon and Kaptan Bazar areas, and the government agencies concerned - in its office on August 14
In the meeting, the DNCRP made it mandatory for all egg market players to preserve vouchers of egg trading (buy and sell).
DNCRP Director General A H M Shafiquzzaman said his agency would start market monitoring from August 16, taking into account production cost of an egg at Tk 10.5 and MRP at Tk 12.
Egg prices declined to Tk 155-165 a dozen on August 16 and Tk 150-160 on August 18.
Farm economist Prof Golam Hafeez Kennedy said the MoC's announcement to allow egg import had a major impact on the market.
Oligopoly of the leading companies and their allied agents is responsible for the market volatility, and egg import would be the best option to handle the oligarchy.
Prof Kennedy also urged the MoFL to review its calculated egg production cost of Tk 10.5 per piece.
Egg production cost is lesser for the big companies, which also produce feed and day-old-chicks as well as have other components, like parental stocks of poultry birds, he opined.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Vice President S M Nazer Hossain said egg prices declined, but are still higher than the MoFL-proposed price of TK 12 a piece.
Egg is the cheapest protein source for poor and middle-class consumers. Strict market monitoring should be continued to bring down its prices rationally within the reach of commoners, he added.
Meanwhile, brinjal price rose to Tk 80-90 a kg and cucumber price to Tk 65-80 a kg, marking Tk 15-25 a kg hike in a week, which traders attributed to a supply crunch for flooding in some regions.
Onion price further increased by Tk 10 a kg, as imported varieties were sold at Tk 60-65 a kg and local varieties at Tk 80-90 a kg.
Garlic price shot up further by Tk 30 a kg, and was retailed at Tk 230-260 a kg on Friday.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
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