Vouchers must for egg trading: DNCRP

The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) on Monday said the egg traders must have vouchers of trading or their businesses would face closure.
DNCRP Director General (DG) A H M Shafiquzzaman said, "If we find the egg traders lack necessary documents of their trading (buy or sale), their shops will be shut."
The announcement came from a discussion on egg market volatility at DNCRP auditorium in the city, involving all parties of the sector.
The DG opined that by creating volatility in the egg market, all the traders concerned made windfall profit from the consumers.
Taking into consideration the demand of 40 million eggs a day, all sector insiders - from farm owners to retailers - realised extra Tk 80-120 million a day in last one week, by selling the item at Tk 2.0-3.0 higher rate per piece.
He said the egg producers and traders can negotiate with the MoFL in order to fix how much profit they can realise.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL) on Sunday analysed egg production cost at Tk 10.50 a piece, and also proposed its maximum retail price (MRP) at Tk 12 a piece.
Mr Shafiquzzaman stated that the DNCRP would start its full-fledged market drive from tomorrow (August 16), considering the MoFL's rate (Tk 12 each).
"I expect that the MRP of egg will be Tk 12 each within two or three days," he added.
Meanwhile, in the meeting, egg producers and traders said if the egg production cost is Tk 10.50 each, it would be a problem to sell the item at Tk 12 each at retail level, as eggs reach the final consumers after changing four to five hands.
Bangladesh Poultry Association President Suman Howladar said the egg production cost is Tk 10.80-10.85 per piece now, and its MRP should be Tk 13 per piece.
The big corporate poultry houses have established an oligopoly by capturing the markets of egg, feed, day-old chick, and all other components of the sector.
These oligarchs control at least 20 per cent of the egg market, and their people set egg prices everyday by sending messages to traders, he added.
Tejgaon Multipurpose Cooper-ative Society President Md Aman Ullah said if the MRP of egg fall below Tk 13, it would cause loss to the farmers.
Breeders Association of Bangladesh (BAB) General Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said the big companies, like Kazi, Paragon, CP, Nourish, etc, produce egg at Tk 10.5 per piece and sell at Tk 11.40 per piece.
"Don't we have any right to make at least 10 per cent profit?" he added.
Dr Md Shahinur Alam, Director (Extension) at Department of Livestock Services (DLS), said: "The government has started forming various policies, strategies and guidelines for a compatible production and marketing system. At the same time, it is also working to bring the middlemen under discipline."
Bangladesh Competition Commi-ssion Member Hafizur Rahman said information is being collected on the quarters, which are behind the instability in the egg market.
"We will file cases (against them) after gathering the information," he added.
Meanwhile, although the MoFL on Sunday projected egg production cost at Tk 10.5 each and MRP at Tk 12 each, its retail market price maintained the previous high of Tk 14.5-15.0 a piece on Monday.
Traders in Tejgaon, Kaptan Bazar and other wholesale markets said its bulk price decreased by Tk 0.3-0.5 a piece in a day.
Nurul Islam, a Tejgaon-based trader, told the FE that they got egg at Tk 11.93 a piece on Monday, and sold at Tk 12.40 a piece to middlemen (between wholesalers and city groceries).
The groceries said they were buying egg at Tk 13.2-13.4 each from the traders and selling at Tk 14.5 to 15.0 each to the consumers.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Monday fined over Tk 1.2 million to 27 traders during raids in egg markets at Karwan Bazar, Wari and Jatrabari in the capital for market distortion by charging high prices.
RAB-10 Executive Magistrate Md Mazharul Islam led the drive against those unscrupulous egg traders.

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