Prices of most of the rice varieties showed a further rise last week battering the commoners who had already dug deep into their pocket to meet the rising cost of living triggered by price hike of other essentials.
During a visit to different city markets this correspondent found that retail prices of rice increased by Tk 2.0-4.0 per kg in the capital last week. Coarse rice sold at Tk 48-52, medium variety Tk 56-60 and finer one Tk 68-88 a kg.
Common-variety BRRI dhan 28 sold at Tk 56-60 a kg at the city groceries while finer Miniket at Tk 68-72 a kg and Najirshail Tk 75-88, depending on quality.
Prices also increased by Tk 1.5-2.0 per kg at some major rice mill hubs including Kushtia, Naogaon, Jaypurhat and Ishwardi (Pabna) in the last one and a half weeks while the price was static at the hubs in Rangpur and Dinajpur, according to the Bangladesh Auto Major Husking Mill Owners Association.
Mominur Rahman, a grocer at Tajmahal Road in the city's Mohammadpur, told the FE that he bought a sack containing 50 kg good quality Miniket for Tk 3,300 on Friday morning which was Tk 3150-3200 a week back.
Kamal Rashid, a Badamtoli-based trader said prices of each 50 kg sack containing Miniket, Najirshail and BRRI dhan 28 rose by Tk 60-100 in the last 10 days in Naogaon, Jaypurhat, Kushtia and Pabna districts amid supply crunch of these varieties.
Amzad Hossain Bablu, a trader of Dashuria of Ishwardi in Pabna noted that Boro varieties of last season showed a hike amid short supply.
He mentioned that Jeera and BRRI dhan 28 varieties from the last Boro season's paddy was selling at Tk 1,350-1,400 a maund (40 kg) this month, showing a Tk 100-150 a maund hike.
However, prices of Aman season's coarse varieties, including Swarna and hybrids were static last week, he added.
He further said that prices may remain high until beginning of harvesting of this Boro season from mid-May.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Vice President SM Nazer Hossain said increase in rice price by such a high margin is not understandable as the government had claimed two bumper crops both during the last Boro and Aman seasons.
He mentioned that currently the government has a good stock of the staple and a handsome amount of rice staple has been imported.
According to the directorate general of food, the public warehouses have now above 1.4 million tonnes of rice and paddy while rice purchase from Boro season will kick off from April 28.
Rice output dropped by 0.25 million tonnes in Aus season to 3.0 million tonnes in this fiscal year but the output increased by 0.2 million tonnes in Boro season to 19.8 million tonnes. Rice output in Aman harvesting season is expected to be over 15.3 million tonnes, according to the primary estimates of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The March 2022 report by Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) showed a slight hike in rice prices. FAO's All Rice Price Index for Indica species showed a 0.9 per cent hike in March compared to February this year.
