KHULNA, Nov 17: Most wholesalers and several retail stores in Khulna town are selling locally-grown onions.
Besides, some hoarders were seen selling partially rotten onions at Tk 50 to Tk 100 per kg. Keeping pace with other parts of the country, local onion was selling at Tk 175 to Tk 180 per kg in the wholesale markets of the city.
The spice crop is sold at Tk 230 to Tk 250 in the retail shops.
Moreover, onions from Egypt, Turkey and Myanmar are cheaper by about Tk 10 to Tk 20 per kg but the supply is limited.
According to the district's wholesale and retail market sources, onion come to the area from Faridpur, Madaripur, Jhenidah and Kushtia.
Onion prices began to rise about two months ago, when India restricted onion export. But the prices started to rise abnormally from the last week.
Last month, each kg of locally grown onion was sold at Tk 120 to Tk 140 in the kitchen markets in the city. Now the price jumped to Tk 250 within a week and then it kept rising.
The prices rose by Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg every day since the last six days.
The wholesalers and retailers blamed supply shortage for the price hike and said the prices of onions will decrease within a short period of time as onions are being imported from abroad by the government.
They said onion prices have started coming down from this morning.
Md Khosruzzaman Sheikh, a shop keeper in Sonadangga Kacha Bazar, said, "Onion is one of the main ingredients to make curries tasteful. Traditionally we use onions in our everyday cooking."
Meanwhile, a mobile court led by the district administration's Executive Magistrate Mizanur Rahman conducted a drive in the Khulna Boro Bazar on Sunday morning. The court fined a trader for selling onion at an exorbitant price.
The magistrate said on Friday night, onion traders from Chattogram brought a truck full of onion to the Sohail Traders in the Khulna Baro Bazar. Although the import cost was Tk 155 per kg and including accessories costs, per kg price stands around Tk 175, but the Taher Patwari was selling the item at Tk 215 to Tk 220 per kg in wholesale.
Sohail Traders owner Taher Patwari was fined Tk 0.1 million and sentenced to three months of imprisonment in failure to pay the fine.