Edible oil, onion and egg became dearer last week increasing sufferings of consumers, especially the commoners, who had already been hit hard by a series of price hike of other essentials last month, including rice.
Meanwhile, the proposed budget for 2021-22 fiscal year (FY '22) was yet to put impact on kitchen markets.
The government has imposed fresh or raised import duties on bovine animal meats, carrot, turnip, mushroom and some other import items or products.
A 20 per cent supplementary duty and 15 per cent VAT have been imposed on importing meats, carrot and turnip which was earlier zero.
Import duty on mushroom has been increased to 20 per cent in the proposed budget from 5.0 per cent in the current one.
Cooking oil which saw a series of price hikes last month, witnessed a fresh rise in its price this month.
Apart from bottled soybean oil, loose soybean oil prices rose by Tk 6.0-8.0 per litre last week. The loose oil was sold at Tk 132-138 a litre while bottled one at Tk 144-153 a litre on the day.
Loose super palm oil also became costlier in the last seven days with its prices shooting up to Tk 120 a litre from Tk 112-114 earlier.
However, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) said it recorded 3.0-9.0 per cent hike in edible oil prices in the last five days ending on Saturday.
Current prices of edible oils are 39-69 per cent higher than a year ago, the state-owned TCB said.
Edible oil prices witnessed hikes at regular intervals in the last one month as refiners reviewed its prices multiple times during the period.
On May 27, they had set maximum retail price or MRP of soybean and palm oils with the government's consent.
Then the MRP of bottled soybean oil was set at Tk 153 for one litre, Tk 728 for a five-litre jar, loose soybean oil Tk 129 and super palm oil Tk 106 a litre which refiners attributed to the cost hike in global market. Kitchen staple onion prices showed 34-42 per cent hike last week as both local and imported varieties were selling at Tk 55-60 per kg on the day, according to the TCB.
In the wake of a surging trend in its prices, the government eased onion import which was unofficially restricted since February last during the local harvesting season for the interest of domestic growers, said a commerce ministry official.
Farm egg prices increased to Tk 100-105 per dozen which was Tk 90-Tk 95 a week back.
Broiler chicken, a source of protein for the commoners, also became pricier in the week. It increased by Tk 5.0-10 per kg as was sold at Tk 140-150 a kg on the day.
