Prices of almost all daily essentials, including vegetables and onion, are yet to see a downtrend, especially in the capital’s kitchen markets today (Tuesday), adding woes to the fixed-income groups.
Furthermore, edible oil has seen a hike on Monday while the price of sugar saw a decrease.
The prices of green chili, local cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage, and pumpkin (winter) witnessed a hike ranging between Tk 5.0 to Tk 10 on Tuesday compared to Monday’s prices.
Prices of three important spices -- onion, ginger and garlic -- are stable.
Prices of broiler, Sonali and Pakistani chickens have remained unchanged maintaining the previous high trend while egg price is steady.
The state-run Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) in its daily report on Tuesday stated that the prices of beef, egg, local sugar, salt (packed), lentil, onion and flour (packed) are Tk 548-Tk 570 per kg, Tk 36-Tk 38 (four pieces), Tk 78-Tk 80, Tk 27-Tk 33, Tk 105-Tk 112 per kg, Tk 53-Tk 56 and Tk 36-Tk 38 per kg respectively.
Apart from this, DAM also reported that tomatoes (mature) are being sold at Tk 106-Tk 118 per kg, while broiler chicken at Tk 156-Tk 162 a kg, soybean oil at Tk 142-Tk 145 per litre, garlic (local) at Tk 51-Tk 60 per kg, garlic (imported) at Tk 112-Tk 119 per kg, ginger (local) at Tk 82-Tk 96 per kg and ginger (imported) at Tk 98-Tk 110 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.
Hridoy, a vegetable vendor at the city’s Adabor Bazar, told The Financial Express (FE) that prices of almost all the vegetables remained stable.
However, Maksedul, another vegetable vendor at the city’s Adabor Bazar, told the FE that prices of green chili, local cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage and pumpkin (winter) witnessed a slight hike on the day.
He bought green chili at Tk 450 five kg on Monday but it was Tk 500 on Tuesday. He was retailing green chili at Tk 120-130 per kg.
The vendor bought cauliflower at Tk 35 per piece from Kawran Bazaar on Tuesday which was Tk 20-Tk 25 on Monday.
He bought five kg of tomatoes from the wholesale market at Tk 650 and now he is selling the item at Tk 130-Tk 140 per kg. The vegetable vendor bought bitter gourd at Tk 350 five kg and now selling it at Tk 80 per kg in the retail level.
The price of five kg of beans is Tk 650 at wholesale level today (Tuesday) whereas the item was selling at Tk 700 five kg, he said, adding that he was selling bean Tk 140-Tk 150 per kg at the retail level.
At the same time, the price of pumpkin (winter) stands at Tk 30 each in the wholesale market which was Tk 25 each yesterday. He was selling pumpkins at Tk 40-Tk 50 each.
He bought cabbage at Tk 30 each which was Tk 25 yesterday. He was selling it at Tk 40 at the retail level.
Local cucumber was selling at Tk 40 per kg on Tuesday which was Tk 30 per kg on Monday. He was selling it 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 supply constraints and spiralling prices in the international commodity market have also triggered the unstable situation in the local market.
They also suspected that there is a vested group, who are manipulating the prices of essentials, taking the advantage and creating an artificial crisis in the 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 165-180 a kg on the day.
Sonali and Pakistani chicken were selling at Tk 300-310 per kg on Tuesday, he said, adding that a dozen of red eggs were selling at Tk 115.
Jabayer Hossain, a proprietor at Bikrampur Trading Corporation at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said that soybean oil (loose), the most-consumed cooking oil, has witnessed a fresh hike on Monday.
The price of per drum (container), which contained 185 kg of soybean oil (loose), saw an increase of Tk 200, he said.
The price of sugar per sack, which contained 50 kg, saw a decrease by Tk 150 on Monday, Hossain said.
Other important essentials -- pulses, flour and potatoes remained unchanged, he added.
