Prices of all essentials shot up again on Friday, just three days ahead of the holy month Ramadan, despite various measures taken by the government.
Although different ministries, especially the Ministry of Commerce and authorities concerned, continued claiming overseeing the kitchen market constantly, and that prices of essentials have not increased, the claims were found removed from the reality on the ground.
This correspondent found all essential commodities selling at very high rates on Friday. It was learnt that some unscrupulous syndicates were hindering the normal supply of kitchen market items by storing the essentials ahead of Ramadan, thus causing price hike. Just within a week prices of potato, onion, garlic, and ginger increased, while some remained the same.
Price of potato is Tk 22-24 per kilogram (kg), onion, Tk 30-35, garlic, Tk 130 (based on quality), ginger, Tk 110 and sugar, Tk 56 per kg. This was the scenario in the capital’s Karwan Bazar, Rampura and Malibagh kitchen markets. On the other hand, price of egg, oil, chicken, and meat fell slightly in comparison to the previous weeks. Maximum vegetables were selling between Tk 40-60 while price of grocery items remained stable.
Per dozen eggs sold at Tk 85-90, per liter oil (refined edible oil) price went down by Tk 2 and was selling at Tk 102 per liter. In the meat market, beef and mutton were selling at Tk 550 per kg and Tk 850 per kg respectively while broiler chicken was selling at Tk 150-160 a kg, red layer chicken at Tk 180-190 and Pakistani chicken at Tk 240-250 per kg.
Rampura kitchen market trader Israfil said that as broiler chicken price fell, prices of other chickens fell automatically. Price will decrease further in the coming weeks. In the vegetable market, based on quality and supply, papaya was selling at Tk50-60,brinjal TK 50-60, cucumber Tk 50-75, bitter gourd, Tk 60, okra Tk 50, gourd Tk50-60, beans TK 60, tomato Tk 30-40 and multitude, Tk 40-50.
Karwan Bazar vegetable trader Ibrahim said that supplies of vegetables were adequate, but as cyclone Fani is set to hit the country, prices may go up in the coming week. At fish market, price of fishes were also found like those in the previous week. Chital fish was selling at Tk 500-550 per kg, Awn fish, Tk 650-700, Rui-KatlaTk 300-600 per kg, and tilapia, Tk 150-200, Boal fish, Tk 700-900, Pangas, Tk 180-250, Pabda, Tk 600, and Shing, Tk 400-600.
Mentionably, commerce minister Tipu Munshi on April 2, sent letters to the divisional commissioners asking them to instruct deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers to adopt strong vigilance to check price hike of essentials during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
