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Traders said the prices would fall gradually with increased onion supply to the markets. Onion prices, which have left the market tumultuous for around two months, are still high in the capital’s wholesale and kitchen markets while traders said the prices started coming down.
Visiting several kitchen markets in the city including Farmgate, Shukrabad, Rampura, Malibagh and Karwanbazar on Tuesday, Dhaka Tribune found that the prices of onion came down by Tk20-40per kilogram on an average from what they were on Monday.
Local variety of the onion was retailing at Tk180-200 per kg, while onion imported from Myanmar was selling at Tk140-150 a kg and those from Egypt at Tk130-140.
At wholesale markets, local onion sold at Tk160-170 while those imported from Myanmar at Tk140-150 and those from Egypt at Tk120.
Local onion sold as high as Tk250 a kg on Sunday in the city’s kitchen markets and those imported from Myanmar at Tk230-240 throughout last week, breaking all the previous records. The prices of onion hit Tk 220 on November 14, which hovered between Tk130 and Tk140 on November 9 in the capital.
Traders said the prices would fall gradually with increased onion supply to the markets.
Mohammad Jewel, wholesale trader of Karwanbazar, said the price of onion started falling and it would come down further.
Another wholesale trader Ridoy Mollik at Karwanbazar said: “There used to huge crowds here to buy onion a few days ago. But now no one come to buy. People don’t use union for cooking because of high price. Even street hawkers don’t use onion in their street foods.”
“The prime minister has also asked people not to eat onion, which has also affected our sale. Besides, new onion is coming, which will reduce the prices further soon,” he added.
Md Rashed Mia, a street food seller from Nakhalpara of Farmgate, said: “I have not bought any onion for around one month to cook my street food because of high price.”
“If I use onion, I will count losses,” he added.
On September 29, the Indian government banned the export of onion with immediate effect until further order in order to improve their domestic availability of onions.
On last Saturday, the wholesale price in the Dhaka’s city markets was Tk 225, and till Sunday it rose to Tk240-250 a kg. On Monday the price was between Tk220 and Tk240 a kg.
(DT)
