Prices of onions and ginger witnessed a notable hike at the city kitchen markets in last few days, adding woes to the commoners.
Imported ginger prices shot up by 50-60 a kg in a week as the item was selling at Tk 220-240 a kg on Monday.
Local ginger prices also increased to Tk 180-200 a kg from Tk 140-160 a kg earlier.
Onion, both imported and local witnessed Tk 5.0- Tk 10 a kg hike in last one week, according to sources.
Local onion was sold at 45-55 a kg on Monday which was Tk 40-45 a kg seven days back.
Imported Indian onion was retailed at Tk 35-40 a kg on the day from Tk 25-35 a kg earlier.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded 12 per cent hike in onion prices in a week.
Haider Ali, a grocer at Sher-e-Bangla Road in Mohammadpur, said prices of both onions and ginger have been rising at wholesales for last one and a half weeks.
Mr Ali said he bought gingers at Tk 200 a kg from Shyambazar wholesale on Sunday morning which was Tk 160 a kg a week back.
He said all kinds of onion prices also surged by Tk 250-275 per 50 kg sack both at Karwan Bazar and Shyambazar.
Jamal Uddin Bhuiya, a Shyambazar-based trader, said onion prices started increasing in India which put impact on local market.
He said surge in Indian onion prices also affect local onion price.
Import cost of ginger is much higher this year.
Asked, he said ginger and garlic prices are higher this year amid crop loss in exporting countries like China and India.
He said the import cost of Chinese ginger increased from $1450 to $1600 a tonne from $1300-$1320 a month back.
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the Commerce Ministry, the country produced only 0.082 million tonnes while it imported over 0.4 million tonnes of ginger in the last fiscal year(FY'20).
The country's onion production was 1.9 million tonnes while it also imported another 0.65 million tonnes of onions in FY'20.
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