Kathmandu, August 13
The prices of eggs have almost doubled in the past one month as poultry farmers have been raising the prices at will, complain the consumers.
The price of an egg that would cost Rs 12 three weeks ago has increased to Rs 20. Consumers complain the government and various monitoring bodies have remained quiet about it.
Consumer rights activist Madhav Timilsina says the price going up during a time when the consumption of eggs is low is surprising. “These people are cheating consumers,” says Timilsina.
He says as the people who supply chicken, feed, chicks and eggs are the same, they are protected by the government.
“The government knows this and is turning a blind eye. They should do something fast before this gets out of hand,” says Timilsina.
The Nepal Egg Producers Association says this is the highest egg prices have ever been in Nepal. The association’s president Shivaram KC says a crate of eggs that would cost Rs 365 three weeks ago is selling at Rs 420 currently. KC says that the reason for the price hike is the demand but says that in urban areas, the cost should not have exceeded Rs 16.
He says that the hike might have to do it the feed that has increased drastically over the past year.
However, Nepal Feed Industries Association says that is not true.
The association’s senior vice-president Shankar Kandel says that the price of feed has remained the same for the past three months.
Nepal Retailers Association says that some distributors have increased the price of one box of eggs by Rs 800. A month ago, a box of large eggs cost Rs 2,500 has gone up to Rs 3,300.
