Govt fixes egg, chicken prices
The egg market has remained unstable with a dozen eggs priced between Tk160 and Tk165 as of Sunday, (Tk13.33-13.75 apiece), while the price of broiler chicken was between Tk170 to Tk180 a kg in the capital
Highlights
Eggs Tk11.87 apiece, broiler Tk179.59, sonali Tk269.64 a kg
Egg price rose over 4% in last one month, TCB data shows
Imports failed to stabilise pricing, traders say
As of Sunday, eggs sold for Tk160-165 a dozen
The government has fixed the price of eggs at Tk11.87 per piece and broiler chicken at Tk179.59 per kg at the retail level.
In addition, the price of sonali chicken has been set at Tk269.64 per kg, according to a notification issued from the Department of Livestock Services on Sunday (15 September).
The egg market has remained unstable with a dozen eggs priced between Tk160 and Tk165 as of Sunday, (Tk13.33-13.75 apiece), while the price of broiler chicken was between Tk170 to Tk180 a kg in the capital.
Data from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) suggest that the price of eggs has risen by over 4% for each four pieces in the last one month.
Many traders, however, attributed the price rise to production losses in the poultry farms of the flood-affected Feni and Noakhali regions. However, broiler prices have been stable for several months.
The Department of Livestock Services said in setting the new price for eggs, they have consulted with a Joint Working Group consisting of the leaders of the Department of Agriculture Marketing, Department of Livestock Services and poultry related organisations. However, the Department of Agricultural Marketing played the key role in determining the price.
Earlier, the Ministry of Commerce in September last year fixed the price of eggs at Tk12 apiece. However, it failed to control the egg prices as many traders reportedly did not adhere to the pricing.
In addition, upon approval from the then government, some companies imported a few lakh pieces of eggs. This year, a few lakhs of eggs were imported a week ago. But that too failed in stabilising the prices.
The new pricing has been determined by considering the production-level purchase prices, which are Tk10.58 for each egg, Tk169 for per kg broiler chicken, and Tk161 for per kg sonali chicken.
To implement the new prices, the Department of Livestock Services is expected to conduct rigorous monitoring in the markets.