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Placing financial pressure on low-income and fixed-income urban households, retail prices of farm brown eggs surged to Tk 15 each across retail kitchen markets in Dhaka on Thursday (October 1). Market surveys across Karwan Bazar, Mirpur, and Shantinagar revealed that a four-egg cluster (hali) was being sold at Tk 55, while consumers purchasing single eggs were charged Tk 15. The sharp price escalation represents a marked spike over recent weeks, with poultry wholesalers attributing higher retail costs to elevated feed prices, heat stress on birds, and transport freight hikes.
Low-income families and wage earners in informal settlements, who typically purchase eggs on a day-to-day basis, are bearing the brunt of the single-egg pricing premium. Retail grocery traders explained that while purchasing a dozen eggs costs approximately Tk 160, small consumers buying one or two units must pay the flat Tk 15 rate due to handling and transportation markups. Consumer rights organizations noted that eggs serve as the primary source of affordable protein for lower-income households, warning that persistent price increases worsen nutritional deficits among children.
Agricultural economists and consumer advocacy bodies urged the Ministry of Commerce and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection to carry out regular price audits across wholesale poultry hubs. Analysts noted that speculative supply withholding by regional poultry syndicates often distorts farm-gate prices before consignments reach municipal wholesale distribution centers. Poultry farmers’ associations stated that small-scale farm operators continue to face elevated electricity tariffs and rising imported maize feed costs.
The Ministry of Commerce confirmed that market monitoring teams are being dispatched to inspect wholesale poultry distribution chains in Kaptan Bazar and Tejgaon. Consumer advocates called upon the government to lower import tariffs on raw feed ingredients and distribute subsidized essential commodities through state-run Open Market Sale (OMS) trucks. Market enforcement officers warned traders that artificial hoarding will result in swift administrative fines.
Detailing the consumer impact at Karwan Bazar on Thursday evening, a senior representative of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh urged proactive market regulation. The consumer rights representative stated, "When an essential protein source like eggs climbs to Tk 15 each, poor working-class families are pushed out of meeting daily dietary needs; the government must dismantle middleman syndicates to stabilize prices for everyday consumers". Special price monitoring drives will continue across metropolitan kitchen markets.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/metro/1f1bdb84-0532-6920-acb9-4a4495476358