Prices of rice, atta, lentil unchanged, vegetables declined in city markets

Business Desk: Dhaka, Apr-09,

Prices of most of the essentials remained almost unchanged, but the prices of vegetables saw a fresh decline in the city markets during the month of holy fasting.

Prices of rice, atta, flour, edible oil, sugar, and lentils were found stable in the city markets but the prices of different vegetables already declined after a week of holy Ramadan.  The prices of all types of fishes, beef, mutton and local chicken were found higher in the city markets.

At the outset of the holy Ramadan, the unit price of most of the vegetables including cucumber, aubergine, pointed guard, yard long bean, okra, ladies finger and snake guard was on an average of Taka 80-90 per kg, while it is now being sold at 50-60 per kg.

Besides, the prices of  potatoes, onion and tomatoes are being sold at a cheaper price in the city markets.

At the wholesale level, price of onion and potato now is being sold respectively at Taka 17 and Taka 13 per kg while it is being sold at Taka 25-30 per kg at retail level.

“Huge amount of onion already have been imported from India and harvesting of local onion caused an drastic fall in the onion price,” said M Jahangir Hossen Molla, a wholesaler of Shah Ali School and College Market of Mirpur section-1.

Even there are huge onions remain in stocks at the market…so, no chance to raise onion price during this time, said another retailer Anowar Mollah of city’s main hub Kawran Bazar.

The prices of some newly arrived vegetables were found higher but the prices of other vegetables remained at tolerable limit, said a vegetable seller, Lokman Hossain of Mirpur Shah Ali Market.

“If there is no natural disaster in coming days, the price of most of the vegetables will further decline,” said another vegetable seller Jahangir Hossain of Shantinagar Bazar.

In addition to this, the prices of rice, atta, lentil, edible oil and sugar have remained stable—medium quality rice ‘paijam’ and BR-28  are now being  sold at Taka 46 and Taka 48 while the fine quality miniket and nazir is being sold at Taka 65 and Taka 70 per kg respectively.

“The rice price will decline more in the coming days particularly after the month of Baishak as new harvest will arrive in the market,” said  Mizan, a rice seller of Kawran Bazar.
Prices of all types of fishes were found higher in the markets as the price of one-kg size is Taka 1400-1500. The fish traders attributed the price hike of all types of fishes to imposition of ban on fishing by the government.

The government has imposed a ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting of hilsa for two months from 1 March in order to increase production.
Moreover, now the beef is selling at Taka 680 per kg, and mutton at Taka 850-950 per kg while the price of local chicken soaring at Taka 550 per kg.

End/Dnm/Bd/Sma/