Some daily essentials like lentils, eggs, Sonali and Pakistani chickens, imported ginger and garlic are getting pricier in the capital’s kitchen markets, augmenting the woes of the country’s fixed income group and end consumers.
Apart from this, prices of cabbage and beans also saw a hike on Tuesday compared to Monday’s prices.
On the other hand, prices of almost all essentials have remained steady with many of them maintaining the previous rising trend in the capital’s kitchen markets on Saturday.
The prices of some major essentials like flour, edible oil and sugar remain static maintaining the previous hike.
Prices of major vegetables, namely brinjals, pumpkins, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, new potato and green chili have remained static while three important spices --local and imported onion, local ginger and garlic – have remained steady. Price of broilers has also remained unchanged.
The state-run Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) in its daily report on Tuesday stated that eggs were being sold at Tk 32-Tk 34 (four pieces), local sugar at Tk 77- Tk 79 per kg, salt (packed) at Tk 27- Tk 32 per kg, lentils at Tk 105- Tk 112 per kg, onion local at Tk 52-Tk 57 per kg and flour (packed) at Tk 39-Tk 41 at the markets.
Red tomatoes are selling at Tk 52-Tk 62 per kg, broiler chickens at Tk 150-Tk 156 a kg, soybean oil at Tk 143-Tk 145 per litre, garlic (local) at Tk 48-Tk 58 per kg, garlic (imported) at Tk 144-Tk 152 per kg, ginger (local) at Tk 70-Tk 80 per kg and ginger (imported) at Tk 81-Tk 94 per kg.
After visiting some city kitchen markets, this correspondent found that prices of other different essential spices have remained stable.
Rasel, a salesman at New Bismillah Broiler at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, told The FE that he was selling broiler chickens at Tk 180-Tk 185 per kg, the same price of Monday.
He bought Sonali and Pakistani chickens at Tk 255 and Tk 250 per kg respectively, he said.
Rasel,a salesman, said red eggs were being sold at Tk 100 at the retail level which was Tk 95 couple of days ago.
Talking to The Financial Express, Faruk (single name), a vegetable vendor at the city’s Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said prices of almost all vegetables have remained unchanged on Tuesday compared to Friday.
Five kg of round brinjal (black and white) was selling at Tk 130-Tk 140 while the long brinjal at Tk 120 on Tuesday, the same prices like Monday, he said.
The round and long brinjal was selling at Tk 30-Tk 35 per kg.
He bought cabbage at Tk 22 per kg at wholesale price today (Tuesday) whereas it was Tk 18 yesterday (Monday).
The prices of all types of beans increased by Tk 5.0 -Tk 6.0 per kg at wholesale level, he stated.
The vegetable vendor said he bought bitter gourd at Tk 250-Tk270 per five kg, which is the same as yesterday's price. He said he was selling the item at Tk 50- Tk 60 per kg at the retail level.
When asked about the retail prices of cauliflower and local cucumber, another mobile vegetable vendor, namely Hriday, said he was selling cauliflower (big size) at Tk 40-Tk 45 each per piece – like Tuesday.
Radish was bought at Tk 125-Tk 130 per five kg at the wholesale level on Tuesday, which was also the price the previous day, the vegetable vendor stated.
Some other vegetable vendors at Adabor, Mohammadpur Krishi Market along with mobile vendors also echoed the same price level. Akash, a vendor at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said price of new local onions is Tk 37 per kg at wholesale level.
He bought Indian onions (small size) at Tk 32-Tk 40 per kg and Indian onion (big size) at Tk 40-Tk 45 from the wholesale market.
The price of imported ginger remained Tk 110 per kg on Tuesday at wholesale level whereas it was Tk 80-Tk 85 on Sunday.
The price of imported garlic remained Tk 160-Tk 165 per kg on Tuesday at wholesale level, which was Tk Tk 140-Tk 145 per kg on Sunday, according to the trader.
He said local ginger and garlic were selling at Tk 60-Tk 70 and Tk 55-Tk 60 per kg respectively at the retail level.
Jubayer Hossain, a wholesaler at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, told FE that the prices of some major essentials like flour, edible oil, sugar and lentils were maintaining the previous hike.
However, he said the price of domestic lentil increased by Tk 5.0 per kg at retail level a week ago.
