Prices of some vegetables including green chilli have witnessed a further hike in Dhaka's kitchen markets on Saturday compared to Friday’s prices, augmenting the woes of consumers further.
However, prices of onion, ginger, garlic, broiler chicken and egg prices have remained static. Prices of sugar, edible oil, potato and other essentials have also not changed.
A vegetable vendor Muffazal at Mohammadpur Krishi Market told The Financial Express that prices of some vegetables like green chilli, bean, tomato, bitter gourd, snake gourd, pumpkin went up by Tk 5 to Tk 20 per kg.
He bought five kg green chilli at Tk 900 from a wholesale market located in Mirpur, which was Tk 800 on Friday and Tk 600 a week ago, to retail it at Tk 220 to Tk 230 per kg.
The price of beans has risen to Tk 400 per five kg by Tk 100 and that of pumpkins per piece by Tk 5 in a day, he said, adding that he is retailing beans at Tk 90-Tk100 per kg and pumpkins each at Tk 35-Tk 40.
Apart from this, the price of bitter gourd has increased by Tk 50 per five kg in the wholesale market, the vegetable vendor said, adding that he is selling at Tk 80 per kg at the retail level.
The prices of tomato and snake gourd have risen to Tk 700 and Tk 250 five kg by Tk 100 and Tk 50 respectively in a day, according to him.
The prices of tomato and snake gourd increased by Tk 100 and Tk 50 every five kg in the wholesale market, he said.
When talking to this correspondent, he said he was selling tomato at Tk 130-Tk140 per kg in retail and snake gourd at Tk 60, he further said.
Some other vegetable vendors at Adabor and Mohammadpur Krishi Market along with some mobile vendors also echoed the same price level.
Both traders and vendors blamed the soaring prices on flood situations in different parts of the country along the Covid-19 crisis.
The prices of most of the vegetables have been at a record high in the last 6 to 7 years, they added.
A vested interest group is likely manipulating the prices of essentials, taking advantage of such situations and creating artificial crises in the market, they believe.
Mizan, a wholesaler, said the prices of onion are ranging between Tk 63 and Tk 70 in wholesale while those of ginger (imported) and local garlic are Tk 120 and Tk 50 respectively.
The prices of important spices like ginger, onion and garlic remained more static than it was in the last couple of days, he added.
Sohel, a proprietor at New Bismillah Broiler at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, told The Financial Express on Saturday that he was selling broiler chicken at Tk 170-Tk180 a kg.
Sonali and Pakistani chicken were being sold at Tk 310-Tk320 per kg on Saturday, he said, adding that a dozen of eggs were sold at Tk 110.
Jabayer Hossain, a proprietor at Bikrampur Trading Corporation at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, told The Financial Express that sugar was selling at Tk 80-85 (loose) and at Tk 84-Tk88 (packet) per kg.
However, the government fixed maximum retail prices of the sweetener at Tk 74-Tk 75 a kg on September 9.
On Friday, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim at a discussion disclosed a plan to form a joint venture with the private sector to bring the price of eggs within the purchasing power of the people.
Terming eggs as one of the most nutritious foods, the minister stressed the need for increasing egg production and making it available throughout the country.