Egg price to rise soon, consumers warned
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Low-income people can expect higher living costs soon as the Commerce Ministry will allow the price of eggs, the cheapest source of protein, to increase by 20 satang at the farm gate.
Vatchari Vimooktayon, director-general to the Internal Trade Department, said yesterday that the department had to allow the price increase as the cost of egg production had risen significantly to Bt2.60 per unit, while the current price at the farm gate is at Bt2.20.
“Egg farmers have complained that they face huge losses due to stringent control on the price of eggs.
They called for the government to allow a price increase, otherwise many farmers, particularly small operators, would face bankruptcy soon,” she said.
The department will soon meet with farmers and traders to ensure fair practice for them as well as balancing benefits for consumers, she said.
If the department allows the price at the farm gate to increase, the retail price of one egg will rise to Bt2.40-Bt3 depending on size.
In addition, to curb the rising cost of living for consumers, the department plans to reintroduce the mobile food cart under its Blue Flag project to sell cheap cooked food. The retail price for each menu is Bt20-Bt25 per dish, compared with an average of Bt30-Bt35 per dish in the marketplace.
To hold down the cost living, the department will also organise low-price fairs nationwide. The department has been allocated a budget of Bt106 million to organise the fairs.
