SAZZADUL HASSAN

Article 18:1 of the constitution of Bangladesh articulates that the state will consider the development of nutritional levels and improvement of public health in the country as a primary duty.

But despite making significant progress in upgrading the nutritional status of its population, malnutrition remains a key concern for Bangladesh.

According to a study, around 6 lakh children are suffering from severe malnutrition. The Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2022 revealed that 24 percent of the children aged under 5 are stunted while 22 percent are underweight, and 11 percent are wasted.

Also, almost half of the women in the country are suffering from anaemia mainly due to malnutrition.

One of the critical reasons for malnutrition is protein deficiency. Due to exorbitant prices, almost two-thirds of our population can hardly afford to consume meat, fish or milk, which are the main sources of improved protein.

The only affordable source of protein available for common people used to be eggs. However, the way egg prices have skyrocketed, it has gone beyond the reach of the people with lower income.

And although the authority has implemented a number of measures, like fixing egg prices and importing them from India, the price of egg only seems to be shooting up further.

We need to really go underneath the challenges to find a win-win solution for all the stakeholders –producers, traders and off course, consumers. Quite often we hear, compared to India and Pakistan, our egg price is almost 85 percent higher. Why so? The production cost of egg in Bangladesh as opposed to our neighbouring countries is also significantly higher.

The main cost element of egg production is the poultry feed, which contributes to almost 65-70 percent of the total cost. The cost of poultry feed in Bangladesh is almost 50 percent higher compared to that of India and Pakistan. Major ingredients for poultry feed are corn and soyabean, which are mostly imported to Bangladesh whereas India and Pakistan meet their demand with domestic production.

The cost of layer chickens is also higher in Bangladesh; sometimes nearly double as opposed to our neighbours.

Now the question comes: how can we minimise our egg production cost? Firstly, we need to ensure the importers, who supply corn and soybean, charge fair prices. Here comes monitoring from the authority. To reduce our dependency on import, we need to maximise the local production of both crops. We also need to find a way to minimise the cost of chicks.

Also, the government could consider supplying eggs at a subsidised rate to lower income groups.

If we look at the total egg supply chain landscape, 30 percent is supplied by large corporates and the rest is controlled by the stockists/Arotdars. So, the concerned authority should have a mechanism in place to make sure there is no manipulation being done here.

Importing eggs from India could be counterproductive as it may jeopardise the local poultry industry. Approximately 2.5 million workers are directly employed in poultry sector and, so far, investment in this industry is about Tk 35,000 crore.

This industry needs to be nurtured with the utmost priority and proper planning so that our people get enough protein at an affordable price and thus, we build a healthier nation.

The author is chairman and managing director of BASF Bangladesh Limited. The views expressed here are his own