The price of farm brown eggs has shot up to Tk 145-150 a dozen and that of white ones to Tk 140-145 a dozen in the retail market in the last one week, marking a rise of Tk 10-15 a dozen.
Traders say BDS Corp, Ripa Enterprise, Tiger Trading, Prime Energy and some other companies have completed all formalities to import eggs.
The government allowed 25 companies to bring 200 million of eggs from abroad in between September and October last year to reign in the market as the egg price soared to Tk 160-170 a dozen.
The government also fixed the maximum retail price of an egg at Tk 12.
On September 17, the commerce ministry began allowing private-sector companies to import eggs.
Four private companies -- Mim Enterprise, Tiger Trading, Prime Energy and Arnab Trading -- were given permission to import 40 million eggs at that time.
Later in the month, six more companies -- BDS Corporation, SM Corporation, Ripa Enterprise, Popular Trade Syndicate, Joynur Traders and Cheese Gallery -- were allowed to import eggs.
On October 8, five companies -- Lucky Enterprise, Union Venture, JFJ Paradise Connection, Pinki Traders and Layek Enterprise -- were also allowed to import 50 million eggs.
On October 23, ten companies were allowed to import eggs. The companies are Siam International, Karim Dairy, Khan Sons Corporation, Mahima Enterprises, Karima Consignment, Neela Trading Co., Ahmed Business and Commerce Pvt Ltd, Atcom International, JBS Food Products and Industries Ltd and Arif Sea Food.
The first 15 companies allowed to import eggs in September and October could each import 10 million eggs while the remaining 10 companies can import 5 million eggs each.
However, BDS Corporation was the only company to bring 62,000 eggs later on November 2023 against its permission for import of 10 million eggs.
"After the beginning of the egg import, its prices started to fall down drastically and big companies reduced their farm rate to below Tk 9.5 a piece to avoid its import," BDS Corporation proprietor Dipanker Sarker told the FE.
He also said later importing became a lost venture amid the drastic fall in the egg prices with 33 per cent taxes on every egg.
He further said they are going to bring 0.21 million pieces of egg next week. "We are waiting for the move of the National Broad of Revenue (NBR)."
The commerce ministry has requested the NBR to remove the existing duties on egg import, Sarker added.
According to him, the import cost will be Tk 8.16 a piece of egg without taxes and Tk 8.97 a piece with taxes for now.
The BDS Corporation proprietor further said consumers could get it at below Tk 10 in retail price.
Tiger Trading, Prime Energy, Ripa Enterprise and few other companies are also importing eggs within next week.
However, Arnab Trading Ltd managing director Md Ahmed Towfiqur Rahman Arnab said it would take times for his company to bring eggs.
The company also got permission to import 10 million eggs in September 2023, but failed to bring a single piece.
"The process is long as we have to contact our sources, have to open LCs and there are many other formalities," he said.
Sumon Hawladar, president of the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA), said the government has failed to control the market manipulation by big companies.
Import could be avoided if the oligarchs could be brought under strict regulation. He said prices of day-old-chicks and feed have risen again, resulting in a higher production cost.
According to the commerce ministry, Bangladesh has a daily demand for 40 million eggs.
BPA said production has declined at least by 30 per cent in last two years amid the growing trend in input prices.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com