31 August 2022 02:05 am
- “We often become clueless on how to put together a balanced meal”
- “Eggs is still the next best option we have”
- “These prices are getting out of hand”
- We are already falling far behind with our products and we definitely can’t continue our business in this manner. It’s almost impossible to buy eggs now
With less animal feed imported and supplied to the poultry industry, eggs have taken an unexpected toll on the daily consumers in the country. The prices of daily essentials are surprising consumers on a regular basis. But more recently the price of fish has troubled many households. Consumers are now clueless, option-less and simply baffled on how to balance their diet.
Consumers who used to buy a carton of eggs per week for just Rs.450 are now returning from the stores, stupefied to see the prices being increased to numbing heights of Rs.800 per carton! Apart from the general public, bakery owners, restaurants and especially children find this to be a massive challenge as their protein intake has taken a blow from every possible direction.
With the poultry industry stranded, around 50% of the small and medium farm owners have also left the industry because of high production costs and low income.
Fish isn’t helping, so are eggs?
All these have their core issue in the forex shortage and the inability to import animal feed for the poultry farms which resulted in the production of eggs per week to go down. But, compared to the expensive prices of fish, poultry products still seem cheaper.
Several citizens expressed that with the price of 1kg of Thalapath (Sail fish) itself being around Rs.5,000, they are trying to figure out more diverse protein substitutes for their families and children. So despite their unpredictable prices, buying eggs is still one of the few options many Sri Lankans have. They keep watching the alternating drops and spurges of eggs and still reach out for them. “We tell ourselves that we can live without eggs, but then we realize that it’s still the next best option we have. It feels absurd to buy eggs now. But if we ditch them too, we are clueless on how to put together a balanced meal, so we buy them anyway,” said one citizen
from Kelaniya.
One family from Gonawala remarked that they almost didn’t have enough eggs to bake a cake for their eight-year-old’s birthday. “We might need to find something else to cut on birthdays, because this is not normal,” they said.
Effect on businesses
Sri Lanka’s bakers and confectionery makers recently demanded government intervention to impose price controls on their suppliers as well.
A bakery owner from Gampaha pointed out that buying eggs priced at Rs.70 is definitely not profitable when it comes to baking their cakes and pastries. “We are already falling far behind with our products and definitely we can’t continue our business in this manner. It’s almost impossible to buy eggs now,’’ they said. According to the owner, the only reason their business is still standing is their corresponding rice and curry business. “Many other bakery owners we know are already out of business. These prices are getting out of hand.” he added.
Observing a lack of protein
A teacher and sports coach from Colombo noted that most of their students are now bringing incomplete or sketch meals. According to their observations, most families are forced to search for alternatives in place of eggs and fish every day and the balanced diet of many students has been visibly interrupted. The coach highlighted that most active students who engage in sports and other activities are finding it hard to maintain their healthy protein and iron intake. The teacher in turn told Daily Mirror that many children have turned to snacks or junk food because of this. “This might lead to malnutrition in some children,” she said.
"We tell ourselves that we can live without eggs, but then we realize that it’s still the next best option we have. It feels absurd to buy eggs now. But if we ditch them too, we are clueless on how to put together a balanced meal, so we buy them anyway"
Can we get egg prices under control?
Ajith Gunasekera, President of the All Island Poultry Association, said that the authorities are contemplating to re-introduce the price control mechanism. The government has also focusing on producing the raw materials locally that are needed for poultry industry.
According to Gunasekera, the sudden decisions taken by authorities to get this issue under control have disrupted the system and by securing the required volume of animal feed and with the existing number of layers (hens), the production of eggs could only be improved by 10 to 15%. He added that price controlling mechanism should come into play after increasing the supply of animal feed to improve the production. “We are asking for adequate poultry food for the farmers and a system to safeguard the producers and the consumers equally.” Gunasekera said.