Egg farmers losing Tk 500cr a month as price distortion deepens crisis: BPIA 

Bangladesh's poultry farmers are losing nearly Tk 500 crore every month as farmgate egg prices remain well below production costs, threatening the survival of thousands of farms and exposing deep distortions in the country's food supply chain, the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association (BPIA) has warned.

Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, BPIA President Mosharraf Hossain Chowdhury said it costs around Tk 10 to produce an egg at farm level, yet farmers are often forced to sell below that price, while consumers continue to pay more than Tk 10 per egg in the retail market.

"The widening gap between farmgate and retail prices is pushing farmers into debt and driving many out of business," he said, alleging that producers are losing about Tk 4 on every egg sold despite consumers paying significantly higher prices.

Chowdhury said the prolonged crisis had forced around 64,000 poultry farmers to abandon the sector over the past five years, posing a growing threat to the country's food security and livestock industry.

To protect producers, he urged the government to introduce a fair pricing mechanism for eggs similar to those used for paddy and sugarcane, ensuring farmers receive prices that reflect their production costs. He also proposed creating a national digital database of poultry farmers to identify genuine producers and facilitate targeted subsidies and low-interest credit.

The BPIA chief further called for farmer identity cards, upazila-level cold storage facilities and the withdrawal of the 4 per cent Advance Income Tax (AIT) on imported poultry feed to reduce production costs.
BPIA Secretary General M Safir Rahman blamed weak coordination among government ministries for the sector's persistent problems and urged the establishment of a National Poultry Board to oversee policy, regulation and long-term development.

Joint Secretary General Anjan Mazumder said recent floods in Chattogram and Noakhali had inflicted heavy losses on poultry farms, killing large numbers of birds and disrupting supplies. He alleged that middlemen were exploiting the situation by purchasing eggs from farmers at around Tk 4.50 each and selling them to consumers for Tk 10.50, while creating artificial shortages within just 48 hours to maximise profits.

Earlier in the day, poultry farmers staged a human chain outside the National Press Club to press their demands. BPIA adviser N C Banik, Vice-President Mezbaur Rahman and other association leaders were also present.