Eggs 30 lakh pieces, profit Tk 1.25 crore

In the brown egg wholesale market at poultry farms, the price per egg is Tk 10.70 as against Tk 11.10 at the wholesale bazar. And in the retail market one egg is being sold at around Tk 13. From farm to consumer-end, the price of a single egg increases by Tk 2.30.

The production cost of an egg at the farm level is Tk 9.50. This means farmers earn a profit of Tk 1.20 per egg. Wholesalers make a profit of Tk 0.40 per egg, while retailers earn Tk 1.90. In total, the profit across the supply chain reaches Tk 4.50 per egg. Based on this calculation, a dozen eggs generate a profit of Tk 54 in the retail market.

In Chattogram, the largest wholesale egg market is located in Pahartali. Nearly the entire daily demand of around 3 million eggs in the city is traded here. With an added Tk 4.50 profit per egg, consumers are effectively paying an extra Tk 13.5 million (Tk 1.35 crore) every day.

The supply chain is currently influenced by seasonal fishing restrictions in the sea, which run from April 15 to June 11 (58 days). Traders say this has indirectly pushed up prices. Just a week ago, brown eggs were sold at Tk 125 per dozen in retail markets; now the price has risen to Tk 155. White eggs have increased from Tk 115 to Tk 140 per dozen.

Market sources say major corporate poultry groups such as Paragon, Nourish, Kazi Farms, North Agro, and Runner dominate supply from Dhaka, contributing to pricing pressure. One large farm in Chattogram, Nahar Poultry Farm, supplies about 400,000 eggs daily, while the remaining demand is met by northern-region corporate farms.

However, the largest egg wholesaler in Pahartali, Abdur Shukkur, denies any supply shortage, claiming the market is stable. He suggests that seasonal disruptions—first affecting vegetables and now eggs—have temporarily pushed prices up, and expects prices to fall after Eid.

Nahar Agro Group’s Managing Director Rakibur Rahman Tutul said they sold brown eggs at Tk 10.70 each on Tuesday. He added that prices were much lower a month ago, causing losses, and current pricing is helping recover those losses.

Trader Enayet from Riazuddin Bazar said rising fuel costs have increased transportation expenses, which have impacted egg prices. He also pointed to weather-related disease outbreaks affecting small farms, forcing earlier losses.

Despite high retail prices, farmers argue they are only recently recovering from long-term losses. At the end of April, many small-scale farmers were forced to sell eggs at Tk 6.50–7.00 each, far below production cost, pushing several into financial distress or bankruptcy.