Govt allows import of 60m more eggs

In a bid to tame the overheated market, the government on Thursday allowed six more companies to import 60 million eggs in addition to 40 million permitted earlier.
The companies are BDS Corporation, SM Corporation, M/S Ripa Enterprise, Popular Trade Syndicate, Joynur Traders, and Cheese Gallery, according to a commerce ministry official.
Each of these companies could bring 10 million eggs provided they meet five conditions, including sourcing eggs from countries free of an avian influenza, bird flu.
Earlier on September 17, four private companies - Mim Enterprise, Tiger Trading, Prime Energy, and Arnab Trading - got permission to import 40 million eggs.
The decision comes in response to the soaring prices of the essential protein source in the local market over the last one and a half months.
Egg price reached a record Tk 15 a piece in mid-August which later dropped to Tk 13-13.25.
On September 14, the ministry fixed the maximum price of an egg at Tk 12.
The egg price further declined to Tk 12-12.5 a piece later thanks to the import decision, market insiders said.
Md Zakir Hossain, owner of Cheese Gallery that earlier imported buffalo meat from India, said they sought to bring 50 million pieces of eggs but got an approval for 10 million.
He said it would take two weeks to bring eggs due to having many official formalities to complete.
"We have to get an NOC from the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports, then a draft for import, opening L/Cs and other processes," he said.
He said consumers should get an egg at Tk 10 only if the current price in India persists, he said.
Md Ali Hossain, proprietor of Jatrabari-based Popular Trade Syndicate, usually is involved in fish exports and imports.
Last year, the company sent hilsa fish to India during the Durga Puja festival.
The company got approval for importing eggs due to its good holds in India, Myanmar, middle-east and other markets.
Ali Hossain said: "We are assessing markets from where the safest products could be sourced at a competitive price."
He said sourcing US dollars at the government-fixed rate is now comparatively difficult which would be a challenge for the importers.
Appreciating the government decision, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan requested fixing the MRP of imported eggs at Tk 10 instead of Tk 12.
He said importers themselves said they could sell eggs at Tk 10 per piece if the retail price in India stays at Tk 6.5-7.0.
Bangladesh has a daily demand for 40 million eggs, according to the commerce ministry estimate.

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