Two panels formed to probe high egg, chicken prices

Amidst the backdrop of the recent rise in egg and broiler chicken prices, the Bangladesh Competition Commission (BCC) has formed two committees to investigate whether a lack of fair competition in the poultry industry was playing a role.

Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty, chairperson of the BCC, said that committee members gathered information by talking to various traders and manufacturers after receiving a directive from the commerce ministry recently.

"They have already analysed the data," he said, adding that the report was being prepared and would be submitted to the ministry soon.

In an unprecedented scene in Bangladesh, the price of a dozen farmed brown eggs matched that of one kilogramme of broiler chicken in August, further denting the wallets of fixed and low-income groups.

At the time, retailers were selling 1 kg of broiler chicken at a maximum price of Tk 180 across various kitchen markets in Dhaka. Coincidentally, the highest price for 12 pieces of brown eggs was exactly the same.

It was only after officials of the Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection conducted raids across various markets that egg and broiler chicken prices decreased.

The BCC works to prevent, control and eradicate collusion, monopolies, oligopolies, abuse of a dominant position or any other anti-competitive practice in the market.