Egg retails at record Tk 180 a dozen

Egg price has gone through the roof again as it touched the previous record of Tk 180 a dozen on Thursday, battering the commoners who largely rely on the item for their protein intake.
Brown farm egg sold at Tk 170-180 a dozen, white egg at Tk 170-175, that of Sonali and Pakistani hens at Tk 200-210, report kitchen market and city groceries.
Egg showed an 8.0-per-cent hike in price in a week while a 20-per-cent surge in two weeks.
The current retail price of brown egg touched the Tk 170-180 ceiling previously recorded on 14 August 2022.
Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) head AHM Shafiquzzaqman said they were going for a market drive on Thursday night.
The directorate was yet to get the production costs of eggs of different varieties, which are necessary to take actions, he told the FE.
Another official said the DNCRP prepared a report on the growing egg prices last year, clearly showing who were responsible for the hike in August 2022.
Livestock ministry was given some recommendations that they were yet to implement, according to the official.
Last year, the Bangladesh Competition Commission (BCC) filed more than 44 cases against 36 companies and businessmen who were asked to attend hearings that started on September 26.
BCC sources said the commission sought information of production, costs, supply and other data from the companies and individuals for hearings.
The BCC read out the charges against the companies that have increased the prices of rice, flour, egg and chicken abnormally since February 2022.
A BCC official said most of the big poultry companies were asked to attend the BCC hearings for a tectonic rise in chicken and egg prices in August 2022.
Moshiur Rahman, founder of Paragon, one of the leading poultry industries, said the recent hike in egg prices has links to heavy monsoon in different regions.
The market will be normal after the rains, he opined.
Bangladesh Poultry Association president Suman Howladar said demand for eggs has increased after Eid-ul-Azha, thereby causing the hike as production has reduced more than 30 per cent in one and half years.
Breeders Association Bangladesh general secretary Mahbubur Rahman said a number of farms, which closed during the Covid period were yet to start operations.
The rocketing trend of feed prices is also discouraging farmers to start business again, he added.
Department of Livestock Services (DLS) deputy secretary (farm section) Shariful Haque said the DLS would sit with the ministry on Sunday to discuss on prices of eggs and chicken.
He said a projection would be made on the production costs of egg in the meeting.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh vice-president SM Nazer Hossain said the government did not punish the wrongdoers identified by the DNCRP last year, much to the encouragement of others to fix prices freely.
The hike in farm eggs, chicken and cultured fish have been forcing million of commoners to reduce their protein intake further, he mentioned.
Mr Hossain suggested that the government take immediate action to bring the prices of egg within the reach of the poor.

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