Eggs by weight sales not popular
Published: 1/02/2011 at 02:48 PM
Bangkok Post: Online news: Economics
Consumers were showing reluctance to buying chicken eggs by the kilogramme, commerce permanent secretary Yanyong Puangrach said after inspecting Bangkok's major fresh market, Ying Charoen, on Tuesday morning.
The government's new egg pricing pilot scheme was launched today. Its stated objective is to lower people's cost of living.
Mr Yanyong said people were not yet familiar with the new pricing system, as they would have to buy eggs of mixed size.
"Selling by the kilo benefits consumers who want to buy eggs in large quantities," he said.
The Department of Internal Trade has urged sellers to use digital egg scales for accuracy.
The department will also hold talks with egg sellers about whether price fractions should be rounded up or down.
"The Commerce Ministry will assess people's response to the new egg pricing plan before deciding whether to propose it to the government [for wider use]," Mr Yanyong said.
Rattana Laohaburanakit, 60, a villager in Phichit, said she did not know how the new pricing would benefit buyers since egg prices were already set beforehand.
"I believe selling by weight would mean vendors might lose money, and they wouldn't want that.
"Buyers would then be exploited by sellers who use incorrectly balanced scales. This is not the right way to solve the problem," Mrs Rattana said.
Pilot Sukhamanee, an egg seller in a fresh market in Phichit, said she preferred selling eggs by piece as sellers would know how much profit they will make.
Mrs Pilot said old eggs will start to weigh less as the shells fill with gas, and vendors would lose out.
Chicken Egg Farmers, Traders and Exporters Association vice president Saneh Kanasuta said egg prices will definitely rise, partly because of the increase in palm oil prices.
Mr Saneh said the cost of eggs would likely increase by about 20 satang an egg.
"People must accept the increase because the hens are laying fewer eggs at the monent," he said.
Mr Saneh said he disagreed with the government's egg pricing alternative as it would cause problems between sellers and buyers.
Puea Thai members led by former finance minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech and party spokesman Prompong Nopparit inspected the egg pricing pilot scheme at a fresh market today.
The opposition party said prices of large eggs were at least three baht higher when sold by the kilo while small eggs were about two baht costlier.
"The new egg pricing policy is laughable because the government is not addressing the problem correctly.
"The government should know that egg prices have increased because of rising animal feed prices and there are not many animal feed producers," Mr Suchart said.
He said prices of consumer goods would likely to be on the rise if the government failed to find measures to oversee them.
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