Jasim Uddin Haroon

The government has refused permission to a local importer to import eggs from India, despite having lifted a 16-year old ban on its import from the neighbouring country.

Earlier, the government agreed in principle to import eggs after witnessing a record increase in the price of the high protein item, said a senior commerce ministry official.

The lifting of the ban last week triggered protest by local egg producers, who argued that the import of eggs will affect the local industry.

The egg producers said the price of eggs will fall within the next couple of days saying the price of eggs had increased mainly because of supply crunch.

"We will start getting adequate supply of eggs and the market will cool down by the next two or three days," said Md Moshiur Rahman, managing director of a leading hatchery, the Paragon, in Gazipur.

GM Enterprise, a local company, sought permission to import eggs on June 9 to stabilise its price in the local market.

Commerce ministry official said: "We are not procuring eggs from our neighbour for the time being, as most of the farms in the country are affected by avian influenza."

He added, "We will procure eggs if the price increases any further in the local market."

Currently, the prices of eggs ranged between Tk 710 and Tk 730 per hundred at the local wholesale market, traders told the FE on Monday.

They said that the price of eggs reached Tk 280 per hundred in 2007.