A private enterprise has sought the government's approval to import 100 million pieces of eggs from India, officials said, although the domestic production would be enough to meet the country's annual demand.
The Gopalgongj-based trading house, Munshi Enterprise, recently requested in a letter to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to allow importing the item under the existing import policy, said a senior official at the ministry.
The enterprise argued that it wanted to import eggs to help stabilise the increased price of eggs in the local market.
The official said the MoC has already forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), requesting it to examine the possible impacts on the local market and recommend necessary measures in this regard.
The MoFL has also been requested to consider whether there is any supply shortage of eggs in the local market now.
In a recent hearing on the proposal, local poultry farmers expressed deep concern over the proposal and apprehended that the growth of the sector would be affected badly if the government allows import.
If the proposal is accepted, it would be suicidal for the local poultry industry, they warned.
Proprietor of the enterprise Chan Mia Molla said the approval was under process.
The annual egg output surged to 17.11 billion pieces in the fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 from 4.96 billion pieces in FY 2008-09, according to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) data.
Currently, the country's annual per capita egg consumption is 104 pieces against the domestic production of 103 pieces, the data showed.
As many as 81,425 poultry farms have been registered as of August 2019. Of them, 54,411 are broiler chicken farms, 18,954 layer chicken farms and 7,829 duck farms.
"The government should not approve the egg import proposal if it properly follows the existing policy," said Khondoker Md Mohsin, joint secretary general of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association (BPIA). If approved, the domestic poultry sector will have to face severe threat."
He pointed out that the Indian poultry sector is often affected by the outbreak of bird flu, or avian flu.
In response to a question about higher price of eggs in the local market, Mr. Mohsin said the farmers were selling eggs at prices less than their production cost. Eggs are being sold at Tk 6.00-6.30 per piece at the farm level, he added.
