Prices of some daily essentials have shot up in the capital’s kitchen markets following the implementation of newly imposed VAT policy, effective from July 1.
Among the essentials that witnessed price hike there are edible oil, sugar, egg, onion, garlic, lentil, vegetables etc. Apart from these, other essentials like meat, ginger and fish prices are also maintaining high levels in the markets. Meat was selling at Tk 550 per kilogram (kg) at the lowest, based on quality, ginger was selling at Tk 150-200. Fresh fish price was minimum Tk 700-1000 per kg, and counting.
On the other hand, fine variety of rice, flour and broiler chicken prices fell slightly in comparison to those in the previous weeks. This was the scenario in the capital’s Karwan Bazar, Rampura and Malibagh kitchen markets. It was learnt that in the world market, sugar price is low, each tonne of sugar was sold at $280 last month, but due to imposing vat, the opposite was depicted in the capital’s kitchen market. As a result, price of each kg of sugar increased by Tk 5.
In the capital’s Karwan Bazar, it was found that sugar that sold at Tk 52, is now selling at Tk 56. A sugar trader Yusuf of the market told this correspondent that per sack sugar price was Tk 2400, which is now Tk 2600. Similar situation was also for soybean oil, per drum (204 liters) price increased by Tk 400 and was selling at Tk 14200, palm oil was Tk 10400. As per the traders’ calculation, per liter soybean oil price increased by Tk 2 and palm oil by Tk 3.
Egg price was also high, per dozen farm egg was Tk 110-115, which was Tk105-110. Good quality local and Indian onion were selling at Tk 35 per kg. Local garlic was selling at Tk 120-130 per kg, Chinese garlic was Tk 150-160 per kg. In the vegetable market, almost every vegetable was selling in between Tk 40 to Tk 60. However, Tomato is selling at Tk 80 per kg, brinjal at Tk 80, and potato Tk 25. Karwan Bazar vegetable trader Ibrahim said that most vegetable prices were high.
