Prices of hilsa and vegetables spiralled upwards on Friday, adding to the woes of consumers already hit hard by the rise in living cost.
The uptrend in hilsa prices began on Tuesday, a day after newly appointed fisheries and livestock minister told the newsmen that the government is going to lift the ban on export of the fish.
The price saw a hike of Tk 50 to Tk 100 a kg or apiece on Friday, compared to the price on Thursday.
The government imposed the ban on Hilsa export in August 2012 in a bid to bring the price of the national fish within the reach of commoners.
Opposing the government move, consumer rights activists suggested conducting a market survey and gather experts' opinions before allowing the export.
Arman Hossain, a fish vendor at Mohammadpur Krishi Market in the city, told the FE that price of hilsa continued to hike since Tuesday.
Medium-sized hilsa (600 gm to 850 gm) sold at Tk 400-Tk 650 per piece and bigger ones at Tk 750-Tk 1300 apiece on Tuesday. And small-sized Hilsa were traded at Tk 400-Tk 500 a kg, according to retail market sources.
"The price registered a notable hike again today (Friday)," said Arman.
He said prices of medium-sized hilsa increased by Tk 50-Tk 60 apiece at Mawa wholesale market in Munshiganj on Friday.
However, vendors said wholesalers are preserving big-sized hilsa to make huge profits in coming days, as the government has taken a move to export the item.
Bangladesh Fish Traders Association president Golam Mortaza Montu said Hilsa catch have declined significantly in the last two months as it is off-season.
The price was on the uptrend for the last two months, but the recent announcement by the minister pushed up the prices, he said.
Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, an association of the country's 2.5 million shops, in a press briefing, opposed the move to export hilsa, saying that it would deprive common people of the taste of traditional fish dishes.
Meanwhile, prices of seasonal vegetables went up by Tk 5-Tk 10 a kg on Friday, compared to the prices on Thursday.
Prices of papaya, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, local bean, long bean, tomato witnessed the hike, which traders attributed to the ongoing foggy weather that hampered transportation of the items.
Brinjal sold at Tk 50-Tk 60 a kg, local tomato Tk 60-Tk 70 a kg and cauliflower at Tk 30-Tk 40 apiece on Friday.
Prices of most of leafy vegetables also witnessed an increase of Tk 2-Tk 5 per bunch.
