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The price of eggs surged to a five-month high of Tk 170 a dozen on Tuesday, sparking fresh concerns for low-income households who rely largely on eggs as an affordable source of protein.
This spike comes despite the government setting the maximum retail price (MRP) at Tk 13.87 an egg or around Tk 167 per dozen on September 15.
Before this official price cap, brown eggs were priced at Tk 155-160 per dozen, while white eggs ranged from Tk 152-155 a dozen.
However, despite the government's effort to control costs of eggs with the price cap, the prices for both brown and white eggs increased, with both now selling at almost the same price, ultimately burdening consumers, according to traders.
Insiders blame rising production costs and alleged market manipulation by certain companies and traders for the hike.
The Department of Livestock Services (DLS) and the Directorate of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) jointly set prices for farm eggs, Sonali chickens, and broiler chickens at the producer, wholesale, and retail levels on September 15.
A visit to several markets in the capital on Tuesday the FE found that the price fixation had little impact on the market.
Instead, the prices of farm eggs and chicken have risen further in the past one and half weeks, exacerbating the strain on consumers.
The DLS had announced an MRP of Tk 11.87 per egg, Tk 269 per kg for Sonali chicken, and Tk 179.5 per kg for broiler chickens on September 15.
Brown eggs have been selling for Tk 14-Tk 14.16 each on Tuesday. A 'hali' (four eggs) is now priced at Tk 57, while a dozen eggs are selling for Tk 168-170.
The price of white eggs, which stood at Tk 12.5 apiece before the price cap, has risen to Tk 14, nearly matching the MRP for brown eggs.
Sonali chicken prices have also increased to Tk 280-290 per kg from Tk 260-270, despite the government's fixed price of Tk 269.5 per kg.
Similarly, broiler chickens are being sold for Tk 185-195 per kg, up from Tk 170-175, exceeding the government-fixed price of Tk 179.5 per kg.
Sumon Hawladar, president of the Bangladesh Poultry Association, stated that the government's price caps primarily benefit large poultry farms.
He criticised the DLS and DAM for generalising prices for both brown and white eggs, pointing out that consumers could previously buy white eggs for Tk 6-10 less per dozen than brown eggs.
Hawladar further argued that without addressing the high cost of poultry feed, the government's initiative would offer little relief to small farmers and consumers.
He also said that egg imports would not significantly lower prices, as they only account for a small portion of the 40 million eggs needed daily.
SM Nazer Hossain, vice-president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh, urged government agencies to enforce these prices through regular market monitoring and called for stricter oversight of companies to prevent price manipulation.
Hossain also stressed the importance of ensuring the private sector supplies the necessary 5,000-5,500 tonnes of chicken and 40 million eggs daily at reasonable prices, as these remain the most affordable sources of protein for low-income groups.