Gazipur poultry farmers smash eggs in protest against low prices

Marginal poultry farmers staged a human chain and smashed eggs on a road in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur today, demanding fair prices for their produce.

The protest was held beneath the Jaina Bazar footbridge on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway around noon. After the human chain, the farmers brought out a procession.

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The programme was organised by Messrs Hannan Enterprise, a poultry egg-producing company, and was attended by poultry farmers from different parts of the upazila.

Carrying placards with slogans such as "Eggs provide nutrition, why are farmers trapped in debt?" and "Why have egg prices fallen? We demand answers", the protesters said they are suffering heavy losses as market prices have fallen below production costs.

They said the costs of poultry feed, medicines and farm maintenance have increased significantly, while the current market price of eggs is not enough to cover production expenses, forcing many small-scale farmers to operate at a loss.

Farmer Hasibul Hasan Islam said an egg currently sells for about Tk 6.50, whereas it costs between Tk 8.50 and Tk 9 to produce one.

"At this price, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain poultry farms," he said.

When contacted, Sreepur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Nahid Bhuiyan said no marginal poultry farmers had approached him regarding the issue.

"If they come to me, I will sit with them and listen to their concerns in detail," he said.