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The prices of onions and garlic almost doubled while unpackaged soya bean oil and palm oil were being sold at exorbitantly high prices on the markets over the week ending Friday.
The prices of red lentil, potatoes and eggs also went up on the kitchen markets of Dhaka city on the day.
Traders said that the price of onions went up due to a supply shortage of the items as import of the commodity from India remained halted since May 5.
They said that the price of garlic increased on the city markets due to the price hike of the item on the wholesale market.
Retailers also said that after the price hike of edible oil, wholesalers started to increase the prices of most of the essential commodities.
Wholesalers increased the prices of potatoes, red lentil and eggs showing the recent rain as an excuse.
Consumers, however, expressed their dissatisfaction over the soaring commodity prices.
The price of onions and local variety of garlic doubled on the city markets over the week.
Both the local and imported varieties of onions sold for Tk 40–50 a kg in the capital on the day. A week ago, the commodity was sold for Tk 25–30 a kg.
The price of local variety of garlic increased by Tk 40 a kg and sold for Tk 90–100 on Friday while imported garlic sold for Tk 140–150 a kg.
The prices of red lentil and potatoes increased by Tk 5 a kilogram.
The coarse variety of red lentil sold for Tk 105–110 a kg and the medium-quality variety for Tk 115–120 on Friday.
The fine variety sold for Tk 125–130.
Potatoes sold for Tk 25 a kg on the city markets on Friday.
‘Countries’ traders are gaining uncontrolled profit leaving low income people in severe crisis. After increasing soya bean oil prices traders started to increase the prices of other commodities. I do not know how I will survive with my family members,’ Shariful Isalam, a teacher of a private kindergarten at Mohammadpur area in the city.
He said that traders were making profit on their own will as the government never protects the interest of consumers.
Shariful said that the supply of edible oils increased on the market but the price was still above Tk 200 a litre.
The prices of edible oil remained unstable on the local market over the week.
Though the commerce ministry and refiners set the price of unpackaged soya bean oil at Tk 180 a litre, the item was selling at Tk 210–220 a litre on the market on Friday.
Palm oil sold for Tk 180-190 a litre though the government set the price of the item at Tk 172 a litre.
A one-litre bottle of soya bean oil sold for Tk 198–200 while a five-litre container of the item sold for Tk 985–995 in the city on the day.
The prices of some of the vegetables went up in the city over the week.
Aubergine sold for Tk 60–80 a kg, papaya for Tk 60–70, bitter gourd for Tk 60–70, bottle gourd for Tk 50–60 apiece, cucumber for Tk 25–30, carrot for Tk 40–60 and tomatoes for Tk 30–40 on the day.
Green chilies sold for Tk 120–140 a kg on the day.
The price of beef remained high and sold for Tk 680–700 a kg and mutton for Tk 900–1,000.
The price of broiler chicken sold for Tk 165–170 a kg.
The Sonalika variety of chickens sold for Tk 280–310 a kg and the local variety for Tk 500–550 on the day.
Rice remained costly over the week and the coarse variety of the staple sold for Tk 45–48 a kg in the city on Friday.
The medium-quality variety of rice sold for Tk 50–52 a kg while the BR-28 variety, also known as a lower-grade Miniket, retailed at Tk 52–55 a kg.
The fine-variety Miniket sold for Tk 65–68 a kg and Najirshail for Tk 68–70 on the day.
Rohita sold for Tk 280–400 a kg and Katla for Tk 280–380, depending on size and quality.
Pangas sold for Tk 160–190 and Tilapia for Tk 150–160.
The price of ginger, too, remained unchanged, with the imported variety selling for Tk 120–130 a kg and the local variety for Tk 80–110 on the day.
The price of eggs increased by Tk 4 a hali (four pieces) over the week and the item sold for Tk 38–40 a hali on Friday.
Fine-quality packaged salt retailed at Tk 32–35 a kg and the coarse variety at Tk 20–25 a kg on the day.
(NA)
