The Internal Trade Department will meet with representatives of chicken farmer, chicken egg trader and exporter associations on Thursday, to decide whether egg prices should be allowed to increase, as is being demanded by chicken farmers.

Internal Trade Department Director-General Wattanasak Sua-iam said the meeting today (Tuesday), called to discuss egg prices and ways to help ease the cost of living of consumers in the wake of rising pork prices, was not conclusive and all stakeholders agreed to return on Thursday to resolve the problem.

Executive member of the Layer Farmer Association Chaiyaporn Seethan defended the need for the price of eggs to be increased, to between 3.60 and 3.80 baht/egg, citing increased costs of animal feed, medicines and management costs.

He said that, in the past, chicken farmers had been trying not to increase egg prices, but now, the increased production costs make it impossible for them to maintain the prices without going broke in the next few months.

Earlier today, Wattanasak said that chicken farmers, traders and exporters agreed to freeze live chicken and chicken meat prices until June, while the Livestock Development Department and chicken farmers will work out ways to increase chicken production to meet the demand for domestic consumption and export.