Despite the government’s announcement that the conflict between Israel and Iran would not put any impact on the domestic market, the prices of vegetables, meat and chicken have gone up further in the capital’s kitchen markets.
The prices of vegetables increased by Tk 20 to Tk 40 per kilogram. Besides, meat and broiler chickens were being sold at higher prices.
In the kitchen markets, brinjal was being sold at Tk 50 to Tk 60 per kg, bitter gourd at Tk 80, pointed gourd at Tk 80, gourd at Tk 60, yardlong bean at Tk 80, cucumber at 50, papaya at Tk 50 and radish at Tk 50 per kg.
Similarly, beans was being sold at Tk 70 to Tk 80 per kg, , tomatoes at Tk 40 to Tk 60, carrot at Tk 60 per kg, cauliflower at Tk 40 to Tk 50 per piece, and broccoli at Tk 40 per piece.
Four pieces of lemon were being sold at Tk 20 to Tk 60, coriander at Tk 200 to Tk 220 per kg, pumpkin at Tk 40 to Tk 50 per kg and green chilli at Tk 80 to Tk 120 per kg.
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Beef was being sold at Tk 780 to Tk 800 per kg, while good quality mutton at Tk 1,100 per kg. Besides, broiler chicken was being sold at Tk 240 per kg, sonali chicken at Tk 350 per kg and local chicken at Tk 650 to Tk 700 per kg.
A consumer at Karwan Bazar kitchen market told this correspondent that despite a sudden surge in prices of broiler and other chickens, the authorities concerned have not yet made any efforts to regulate the market.
The price of beef has also risen sharply. Even after Eid-ul-Fitr, beef prices remain high.
A butcher at the same market said that due to a decrease in the number of buyers after Eid, the quantity of meat sold is limited now. “We are trying to recoup our losses by raising the price slightly,” he added.
However, State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu declared the new prices of soybean oil on Thursday. The price of bottled soybean oil increased by Tk 4 per litre while loose soybean oil witnessed a decrease of Tk 2 per litre. Despite the announcement, soybean oil is not available in the market at government-fixed rates. Sellers said that the companies will set new prices of soybean oil within a couple of days.
Both buyers and sellers are calling for regular market monitoring to control the volatility of commodity prices. Consumers argue that due to lax monitoring, traders can arbitrarily hike prices. But sellers claim that a group of unscrupulous traders are manipulating prices. The authorities concerned should step up monitoring and take stern action against dishonest traders aiming to rein in price hike, they added.