The retail markets in the city saw prices of rice, pulse and onion go up further this week, adding to the woes of consumers during the stay-at-home orders.
Disruption in supply chain due to shutdown over the coronavirus pandemic and the price hike at the wholesale level are largely responsible for the essential items getting pricier, traders said.
However, fish prices witnessed a decline amid thin presence of buyers.
On Friday, the government extended the shutdown up to April 25. During this period, shops selling essential items are allowed to remain open until 2:00pm daily.
On the day, coarse rice varieties, swarna and BR-11, were retailed at Tk 48-50 a kg in the city markets while medium quality rice varieties, Brridhan-28, paijam and lata, were selling at Tk 53-57 a kg and finer varieties, miniket, najirshail and jeerashail, at Tk 60-68 a kg.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded a 6.0-7.0 per cent hike in rice prices in a week and 14 to 32-per cent hike in the last three weeks.
The current rice prices have hit a two-year high. The rice prices hit an all-time high in September 2017 when coarse rice prices touched Tk 55-57 a kg.
Traders anticipated that rice prices might cross the peak of 2017 level if paddy prices remain higher during this Boro harvesting season.
Harvesting of boro has initially started in the regions of low land, beel and haor, and will be carried out across the country in full swing next month.
Moktar Hossain, a rice trader in West Dhanmondi area, told the FE that prices of rice increased notably at the mill gates in the last three weeks.
He said coarse, medium and finer rice varieties witnessed an increase of Tk 250-300 per 50 kg sack during the period.
He also said the demand for rice suddenly jumped 10 to 20 times between March 17 and 26 because of panic buying by city dwellers in anticipation of lockdown.
Asked, Hajrat Ali, a Nilphamari-based rice trader, said Aman paddy prices increased to Tk 920-930 a maund, which was hardly Tk 700 a maund one and a half months back.
The boro crop is yet to arrive in the markets, but in the meantime, consumers would have to buy rice at high rates, as stockpiling is going on everywhere, he added.
Meanwhile, onion prices have also increased by Tk 10 a kg; the item was selling at Tk 40-55 a kg on Friday.
Prices of pulses, specially lentil, chickpea and moong, witnessed a further hike this week.
Coarse lentils were selling at 78-85, medium lentil at Tk 95-100 and the finer variety at Tk 125-140 a kg, registering a hike of Tk 10 per kg.
Prices of chickpea or gram retailed at Tk 75-90 a kg depending on quality, up by Tk 5.0-10.
On the other hand, fish prices have declined on low demand. Hilsa, other riverine fishes as well as cultured fishes saw a drop in prices.
Delwar Hossain, a fish vendor at Rayerbazar kitchen market in the city, said the number of customers increased on Friday but was much less than on a normal day.
Although the Pahela Baishakh or Bangla New Year's Day is only a few days away, customers do not show much interest in buying hilsa, a main attraction on the Pahela Baishakh menu, he said.
The demand for fishes is low during this virtual lockdown, resulting in the decline in prices, he added.
On Friday, hilsa was selling at Tk 650-800 a kg depending on size.
Riverine rui was selling at Tk 350-450 a kg from Tk 450-600 a kg a week ago, said the fish trader.
The Conscious Consumers Society (CCS), a voluntary organisation, has called upon the government to take stern action against unscrupulous traders resorting to artificial price hike of essential items during this difficult time.
In a statement on Friday, the CCS said hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered jobless due to the shutdown of factories, mills, private offices and other business establishments following the outbreak of deadly Covid-19 in the country.
The limited-income groups, especially daily earners, are now in dire need of foods, as they have been passing their days at home during the stay-at-home orders, said the statement signed by CCS executive director Palash Mahmud.
"The government has several rules and regulations for taking action against the unscrupulous traders involved in the artificial price hike during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic," he said.
