brand logo

Egg prices to be reviewed today

28 Sep 2022

  • Decision to be taken at stakeholders’ meeting with State Minister for Livestock
BY Dinitha Rathnayake    Sri Lanka is to review egg prices today (28) at a discussion between State Minister of Livestock Development D.B. Herath and the relevant stakeholders. Speaking to The Morning, All-Ceylon Egg Producers’ Association (ACEPA) Secretary Ratnasiri Alahakoon said that the association is not satisfied with the current egg prices, and has therefore requested a reasonable maximum price from the Government.  “The current price of a white egg is Rs. 43-45, according to the Gazette released by the Government. But we sell an egg at the price of Rs. 50, because we cannot sell eggs at this (mandated) price,” he said Meanwhile, the National Livestock Development Board has said that it has decided to review the prices of eggs at a discussion to be held today between State Minister for Livestock D.B. Herath and all relevant stakeholders.  Herath told the media that he expects to discuss the existing egg prices and make the necessary amendments. He has further said that the discussion will consider whether the current production cost presented by the egg producers is reasonable. The association claimed that the controlled retail price for eggs has been determined without taking into consideration the costs incurred in the process as determined by the Department of Animal Production and Health, or the profit that the producers seek. Following the decision taken by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to introduce the new maximum retail price for eggs at Rs. 43 for white eggs and Rs. 45 for brown eggs, the demand for poultry products, eggs in particular, increased rapidly, leading to a lack of supply. “This new gazetted price of Rs. 43 for an egg has been done single handedly by the CAA without consulting the necessary bodies related to the field, such as the Department of Animal Production and Health, which conducts regular research on the costs incurred in poultry practices. This Rs. 43 that they’ve determined for an egg also includes the amount that the retailer and the wholesaler obtains through sales, which leaves only Rs. 35 per egg for the producer, inclusive of all profits,” said Alahakoon. Furthermore, he stated that according to their calculations, the cost incurred in the production of a single egg is approximately Rs. 51.24. He stated that this includes the cost for food, raw materials, medicine, and transportation costs.  The department releases a quarterly bulletin, which stated the cost of production of a single egg as being Rs. 45.95 as of June 2022 and increasing to Rs. 49.50 as of August 2022. Alahakoon stated that this highlights how the CAA has not taken into consideration the studies and audits conducted by the relevant authorities in the field when determining this new price.


More News..