Even cracked eggs get costlier!
Nasima Begum, a 35-year-old mother of four, is a regular customer of Fakinni Bazar (a market for ultra poor), located along the rail tracks under Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon Flyover.
"I could at best afford to buy a bundle of eight eggs weekly. But the recent hikes made that impossible. So I have resorted to buying cracked eggs for my family as they cost less," said Nasima, whose husband is a rickshaw puller.
However, Nasima was shocked when she saw that even the price of cracked eggs had also risen by a good Tk 15 per bundle of four pieces within just a week's time.
"Four cracked eggs cost at least Tk 40 now, it was Tk 25 last week," she mentioned.
Meanwhile, the price of a bundle of four regular eggs rose by Tk 10 simultaneously, costing Tk 60 from Tk 50.
"Where would we go if even cracked eggs get costlier? How do I feed my children?" said Nasima, who is now worried as she is running out of ways to make both ends meet with their limited income.
Nasima was among at least 10 customers who resorted to buying cracked eggs and spoke to this reporter during his visit to the bazaar on Saturday night. All of them shared similar stories of empty wallets and cracked eggs.
"When the price of regular eggs rises, the demand for cracked eggs goes up as they cost less, which ultimately results in the cracked eggs becoming costlier too," said Idris Ali, who has been selling eggs at the bazaar for the last nine years.
Also, cracked eggs are short in supply in the retail market, which is also contributing to the price hike. Besides, such eggs are only sold at a few places in the capital, making them somewhat rare, he mentioned.
"Previously, I sold 200-300 cracked eggs in a day. However, despite the increased demand, I'm now selling around 150-200 such eggs due to a supply crunch," he added.
"The ultra poor, bachelors and students living in messes, and roadside restaurants are the regular buyers of cracked eggs. Since these eggs cannot be boiled, they are used for making omelets," he noted.
Shah Alam, another egg seller at the market, echoed the same.
He said three types of cracked eggs are available in the bazaar.
"Some have no leaks. They are taped and sold for Tk 40 per bundle of four at present. The price was Tk 25-30 a week ago," he said.
Four pieces of the ones that have the white part leaking but the yolk remaining intact are being sold for Tk 35 (earlier sold for Tk 20-25), and those with more leaks come at a price of Tk 30 (sold for Tk 15-20 a week ago), shared Alam.
Contacted, Jisan Ahmed, owner of Bismillah Traders, located at the largest egg depot in Bangladesh on Tejgaon Railway Station Road, said the workers have been instructed to carefully load and unload eggs from trucks now, as it has become a prized possession following the hike.
Hence, a smaller number of eggs get cracked in the process, leading to a short-supply, he said.
Around 50,000 eggs usually come daily to the depot, 300-400 pieces of which get cracked during transportation.
"Following the price hike, the eggs are supplied every other day. Thus, the number of cracked eggs has come down to 100-150 pieces per batch," he added.
Wholesalers mend the cracked eggs with tape and sell them to a few retailers in the open market and small bakeries.
"We used to sell cracked eggs for Tk 12-20 per bundle of four, which is now being sold for Tk 20-30," he added.
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