Govt against egg import to protect interests of local poultry farmers

Government will not allow import of eggs in order to protect interests of the local poultry farmers, Agriculture Minister Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque said on Thursday.
"We (the government) will not allow import of eggs. Let us have some patience as the prices of eggs will come down soon," he told the media at his Secretariat office.
He said the prices of eggs usually increase when demand exceeds supply.
"However, as an agriculturist, I could say with utmost confidence that whatever the present prices, the traders will sit idle (could not sell eggs) with their eggs in the next two to three months (if the prices remain high)," he said, while expressing his optimism that egg prices will decrease.
"We (the government) don't see it (the issue of egg prices) as a big deal," he maintained.
Earlier, the commerce minister said that the high prices of locally produced eggs could be checked even by import.
And soon after his comments, the prices of eggs had shown a declining trend. But the prices have again started rising. A hali (four pieces) of eggs were selling between Tk 48 and Tk 50 at the kitchen markets in the capital.
The commerce minister also suggested fixing the prices of some essential commodities.
Later, the minister said that due to non-cooperation from the agriculture ministry, the fixation of prices of ata, flour and some other essential commodities could not see the light.
Asked, Agriculture Minister Dr Razzaque said due to high prices, traders could not sell eggs in the recent past.
"We didn't have any discussion with the commerce ministry. There is no issue of non-cooperation from us (agriculture ministry). However, I reiterate my view that it will never be possible to contain the prices of essential commodities by fixing their rates," he said.
Fixing prices of perishable goods is a big challenge as the price determination totally depends on their demand and supply situation, he added.
Regarding ongoing tension at the frontier with Myanmar, Dr Razzaque said, "Our military and armed forces are sufficiently capable of dealing with any untoward situation."
"We will be able to face a country like Myanmar. However, in the interests of the country and also for development and economic advancement of the country, we don't want war with Myanmar."
"We don't have that much of foreign reserve to take a risk. Myanmar is also not in that position. So, there will be no war," he expressed his hope.
He said that the whole nation will be united and will work together in the event of any untoward incident.

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