Premium egg market expanding

Rich in nutrients and high in calorie, eggs are always considered super food, of which premium eggs are the new arrivals gaining popularity among health nuts.

Currently, 10 to 12 local companies are producing premium eggs under special treatment by feeding the chickens extra food rich in vitamins, Omega-3 and other ingredients to make sure that nutrient facts remain as per requirement.

Poultry industry giants Paragon Poultry, Purnava, Rahmania Eggs, Quality, Country Natural, Kazi Firms, CP, Diamond Egg, Provita and some others have made their foray in producing superior eggs.

The supper shops like Shwapno, Agora, Lavender, Meena Bazaar, Didar, other selected stores and ecommerce platforms sell such eggs, with per dozen costing around Tk 145 to Tk 225.

Besides, the regular firm egg sells Tk 110 a dozen. The sector people said the health-conscious buyers now opt to buy these high-end eggs which are driving the companies to increase their production.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the total egg production in the country was over 2,057crore in Fiscal Year 2020-21.

As a result of continuous increase in production, the availability of eggs has increased to more than 121 pieces per capita per annum which was 104 pieces in FY20. According to the ministry, the country is now self-sufficient in egg production.

Now the shares of industrial and backyard poultry sectors in Bangladesh are approximately 50:50 in terms of egg production. Big industries are now concentred to investing in premium egg production.

Taher Ahmed Siddiqui, president, Bangladesh Egg Producers Association, told The Business Post that the pandemic has shot up the demand for such classy eggs.

“However, small farmers are lagging behind in the race with big firms. It is time to pay more attention to increase quality egg production,” said the dealer.

In recent times, organic and extra-organic eggs enriched with Omega-3 fatty acid and other organic agricultural products have become quite popular with consumers in the developed world.

As part of the practice, Omega-3 is now becoming quite popular among the extra nutritious eggs in Bangladesh as well.

The premium eggs contain the essential Omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic, plus two other Omega-3 fatty acids -- eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

Experts said O3 eggs can boost heart health and maintain an optimum blood pressure and cholesterol level, and may give almost immediate relief from joint pains.

“Such egg is a perfect brain food, and there is evidence that it improves memory function,” they added.

PURNAVA Limited, a manufacturer of non-medicated healthcare products, has been selling eggs enriched with Omega-3 over the last decade to add value to the country’s nutrition deficiency. The company sells a dozen of premium eggs at Tk 219.

Likewise, Paragon sells Omega 3+ egg at Tk 215 per dozen.

“We are currently focusing on different types of premium egg production such as Omega-3, Brown egg and Kid’s egg etc.,” said Paragon Managing Director Moshiur Rahman, also president of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council.

“The overall premium egg production is 35 crore pieces per year and other poultry farmers are also producing quality eggs.”

The egg firms -- Country Natural, Quality, Kazi Firm, Shopno, Rahmania are leading the premium egg sale.

A new joint-venture poultry firm – Omega Agro Project – has come into being in a small village of Adampur under Brahmanbaria district.

A top executive of the firm Mohammad Tusar told the Business Post that their friendly initiative of a group of friends from Bangladesh, USA, Canada and UK is producing over millions of table eggs every year.

“We have been producing Omega-3 egg and selling them through Super shop Shwapno since 2017 and 2018. Now we are looking to Omega-3 premium egg export market,” said the entrepreneur.

The consumption of egg and chicken is on the rise in the country and the livestock industry has a very high growth potential.

Poultry eggs available in Bangladesh are mostly originated from locally grown backyard poultry and also from small and large scale poultry enterprises. Meeting the domestic demand for eggs through importation is very rare and sporadic.

Changes in the poultry sector started in 1934 with the introduction of improved breeding through the government initiatives. Then it slowly continued till 1960 with the crossbreeding between local and exotic poultry stocks.

Between the period of 1960s and 1980s, commercial farms like Eggs and Hens and Biman Poultry Complex were established that set the growth trend.

Since 1980s, the poultry sector had gained a significant average growth rate approximately 15 per cent to 20 per cent annually till the outbreak of avian flu in 2007. After 2015, this sector again attained the capacity to fulfil the domestic demand through broiler, edible eggs, parent stocks, and pre-cooked poultry products. According to the ministry, the government egg production target is 3,294 crore in 2031 and 4,649 crore in 2041.