Adding to the woes of the masses, onion prices increased further on Tuesday at retail outlets by Tk 10 a kilogram despite multiple government steps to stabilise the market.
Indian and Burmese onion varieties sold at Tk 110-120 a kg on the day from Tk 100-110 a kg even a day before.
The local variety remained static at Tk 120-130 a kg.
However, Bangladesh Tariff Commission member Shah Md Abu Raihan Alberuni said the country has 0.3 million tonnes of onion in stock to meet two months' demand.
Substantial amounts of onion are also being imported from Myanmar, Egypt and Turkey, he told the FE.
"New crops will hit the market long before the end of the present stock ends if we could prevent profiteering," uttered Mr Alberuni.
Braving heavy rain, people lined up in front of OMS (open market sale) trucks on Tuesday to buy onion at the subsidised rate of Tk 45 a kg.
The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is operating OMS in the capital.
But many buyers got home frustrated without the kitchen item for a low supply volume.
TCB sold 35 tonnes of onion from 35 trucks at different city points.
Obaidul, a roadside tea stall employee, queued up before an OMS truck at Khamarbari at 11:30 am.
He was behind 50-60 people in the line but failed to get onion as stock ran out at 12:15 pm.
"My long wait in the rain went up in smoke," Mr Obaidul lamented.
When asked, salesperson Jaman said they have a stock of 1,000 kg for a maximum of 500 buyers. "Demand outruns our stock."
Consumers Association of Bangladesh secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said TCB sells only 35 tonnes in Dhaka against the daily demand of 2,000 tonnes.
The country's total demand is 6,575 tonnes, he added.
Mr Bhuiyan called for boosting market vigilance to prevent the upward movement in onion prices, also seeking countrywide OMS soon to help commoners.
However, wholesale price of onion remained almost static on Tuesday, according to trading sources at Shyambazar and Karwanbazar.
Burmese variety sold at Tk 80-88, Indian at Tk 92-95 and local at Tk 92-108 a kg at Shyambazar.
Narayan Chandra Ray, owner of M/S Shapla Banijjaloy at Shyambazar, said prices of some Burmese and local varieties even declined by Tk 2.0-3.0 a kg on the day.
He predicted further market volatility unless higher imports are not ensured.
Earlier in the day, commerce ministry deployed 10 teams, each led by a joint secretary, to monitor supply, price and stock of onion at district level.
The teams have been sent to Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Faridpur, Rajbari, Jashore, Dinajpur, Pabna, Satkhira, Sirajganj and Shariatpur, known as onion hubs.
A ministry official told the FE that they would crack down on price manipulators and market-riggers, if any.
Sources said the directorate of national consumer rights protection fined 12 traders Tk 21,000 in Dhaka for price manoeuvring.
A drive was also conducted at Khatunganj onion wholesale market.
Onion prices started skyrocketing on September 14 after the Indian government's decision to raise export price to a minimum of $850 a tonne.
For this, prices shot up to Tk 70-85 a kg in Bangladesh from Tk 50-60 a kg earlier.
Prices soared to Tk 100 a kg on Sunday evening with Indian export ban on onion.
According to TCB, onion prices have witnessed 90-100 per cent hike in the past two weeks.
Our Chattogram correspondent reports: Khatunganj, Asadganj and Chaktai wholesale hubs have adequate onion stocks as more than 1,000 tonnes reached there through Chittagong and Teknaf ports on Tuesday.
Several onion-loaded ships are on the way to Chittagong port as well as trawlers loaded with onion are reaching Teknaf almost daily.
Sources said 300 tonnes of onion from Egypt and China in 13 containers were unloaded the same day. Three Chattogram-based importers brought in the item.
Meanwhile, our Cox's Bazar correspondent adds: Onion import through Teknaf land port is continuing.
Some 250 tonnes of Myanmar onion reached this land port on Tuesday.
On Monday, port sources said, 536 tonnes of onion entered Teknaf from Myanmar.
Onion imports from Myanmar have increased through Teknaf since Thursday.
When asked, Teknaf land port revenue officer Bikash Kanti Barua told reporters that a total of 3,757 tonnes of onion were imported from Myanmar until Monday.
He expected more onion shipments from Myanmar through Teknaf in the next few days.
Despite sufficient supplies, dishonest traders retailed onion at Tk 100-110 a kg in Cox's Bazar until Tuesday evening.
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