A mobile court fined the authority of a cold storage for storing more than 2 lakh eggs illegally in Sadar Upazila of Bogura district on Wednesday. During a drive, the authority of Erulia Kafela Cold Storage was fined Tk 30,000 and asked to market the stored eggs soon.
Acting on a tip-off that egg prices are being increased by keeping eggs stocked in the cold store and creating an artificial crisis in the market, Sadar Upazila Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Rakib Hasan Chowdhury conducted the raid at Erulia Kafela Cold Store around 11:30am and found over 2 lakh eggs. Store manager Abdul Hannan was fined Tk 30,000 under Section 19 of the Agricultural Marketing Act 2018.
On May 15, Executive Magistrate Marina Afroz conducted a similar raid on Afrin Cold store in Muril area of Kahalu Upazila and found over 4.88 lakh eggs. Due to illegal storage, the mobile court warned the cold store authorities with a fine of Tk 20,000 and directed them to market the stored eggs within seven days.
On May 19, around 100,000 eggs were found at Sathi Cold Store in Ghoradhaphat under Nungola Union in Sadar Upazila. Later, 40,000 eggs were marketed through traders. The remaining eggs were guaranteed to be marketed at the purchase price within two days.
It has been seen in different markets of Bogra that the price of eggs has been increasing for almost one month, from Tk 36-38 to Tk 46-48 per four pieces. At the retail level, four pieces of eggs are being sold up to Tk 50. The supply of eggs is less than the demand in the market. Although the production of eggs is more than the demand in the district, the price has gone up and the administration has taken the action.
Meanwhile, several traders in Bogura claimed that as the demand for eggs decreases in the market during the holy month of Ramadan, they keep eggs in cold storage. They do not intend to create an artificial crisis. But not only traders but also farmers have stocked eggs in various cold stores. Meanwhile, consumers have expressed their satisfaction following such drives.
Bogura Deputy Commissioner Md Saiful Islam said the drive against those who are illegally stockpiling eggs to create an artificial crisis will continue and legal actions will be taken.
