Prices of almost all daily essentials, including vegetables and onion, are yet to see a downtrend, especially in the capital’s kitchen markets today (Saturday), adding woes to the fixed-income groups.
Furthermore, prices of green chili, tomatoes and round brinjal saw a hike ranging between Tk 10 to Tk 20 per kg on Saturday compared to Friday’s prices.
Prices of three important spices -- onion, ginger and garlic -- are stable.
On the other hand, prices of broiler, Sonali and Pakistani chickens witnessed a decline by Tk 10 per kg while egg price remained static.
The state-run Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) in its daily report on Saturday stated that the prices of eggs, local sugar, salt (packed), lentil, onion and flour (packed) are Tk 36-Tk 38 (four pieces), Tk 78-Tk 80 per kg, Tk 27-Tk 32 per kg, Tk 105-Tk 111 per kg, Tk 52-Tk 56 per kg and Tk 36-Tk 38 per kg respectively.
Apart from this, DAM also reported that tomatoes (mature) are being sold at Tk 103-Tk 118 per kg, while broiler chickens at Tk 154-Tk 159 a kg, soybean oil at Tk 141-Tk 143 per litre, garlic (local) at Tk 49-Tk 59 per kg, garlic (imported) at Tk 115-Tk 122 per kg, ginger (local) at Tk 83-Tk 97 per kg and ginger (imported) at Tk 93-Tk 105 per kg.
After visiting some city kitchen markets, it was found that prices of potatoes and other different essential spices were stable compared to the last couple of days.
Terming that the prices of green chili, tomatoes and round brinjal saw a hike, Maksedul, a vegetable vendor at the city’s Adabor Bazar, however, told the Financial Express (FE) that prices of almost all the vegetables remained stable.
He bought five kg of green chili at Tk 400 on Friday from Kawran Bazaar wholesale market but it was Tk 500 on Saturday. He was retailing green chili at Tk 120-130 per kg.
He bought five kg of tomatoes from the wholesale market at Tk 500 yesterday which is Tk 550 today (Saturday).
He now is selling the item at Tk 130-Tk 140 per kg.
The price of round brinjal saw a hike by Tk 50 for five kg at wholesale price, compared to yesterday’s price. He is retailing Tk 70-Tk 80 per kg.
The vegetable vendor bought five kg of bitter gourd at Tk 350 and now he is selling it at Tk 80 per kg in the retail level.
He was selling bean Tk 140-Tk 150 per kg while pumpkins at Tk 40-Tk 50 each, cabbage at Tk 40 per kg and local cucumber at Tk 50 per kg at the retail level.
Some other vegetable vendors at Adabor, Mohammadpur Krishi Market along with mobile vendors also echoed the same price level.
Both traders and vendors blamed flood situations in different parts of the country along the Covid-19 for the soaring prices.
They pointed out that the supply constraints and spiralling prices in the international commodity market have also triggered the unstable situation in the local market.
Akash, a wholesaler, said the prices of onion are ranging between Tk 42-Tk 65 in wholesale while ginger (imported) and local garlic are Tk 120 and Tk 50 respectively.
The prices of three important spices remained more static since the last couple of days, he added.
Rasel, a salesman at New Bismillah Broiler at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, told The FE that he was selling broiler chickens at Tk 155-160 a kg which was Tk 165-Tk 170 a kg yesterday (Friday).
Sonali and Pakistani chicken were selling at Tk 280-Tk 290 per kg on Saturday which was Tk 300 a kg on Friday, he said, adding that a dozen of red eggs were selling at Tk 110- Tk115.
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