Prices of vegetable rise, chicken decline

The prices of most vegetables have gone up in Dhaka markets compared to the last week despite an increase in supply, which is hitting low and middle income consumers’ wallets hard.

Bottle gourd, bean, tomato, bitter melon, eggplant, chili, brinjal, ladies finger, cauliflower, red amaranth, white radish, teasel gourd and snake gourd have witnessed a price hike of Tk 5 to Tk 10.

Bottle gourd was being sold for Tk 90 to Tk 100, which was Tk 80 to Tk 85 last week. Bean was being sold for Tk 40 to Tk 60 per kg, which was Tk 35 to Tk 40, and green chili for Tk 60 to Tk 80 per kg which was Tk 50 to Tk 70.

Meanwhile, tomato was being sold for Tk 60 per kg, brinjal for Tk 40 to Tk 80, cauliflower for Tk 30 to Tk 40 per piece, lemon (four pieces) for Tk 15 to Tk 20. Traders said the price of these vegetables have gone up Tk 5 to Tk 10 per kg this week.

They too expressed their disappointment over the price hike of essential items in the kitchen market.

On Friday, broiler chicken was being sold for Tk 165 to Tk 170, down from Tk 174-180 per kg last week. Traders sold sonalika chicken for Tk 240 to Tk 260, which was Tk 265 to Tk 280 per kg last week.

Onion prices have remained stable. A kilogramme of the local seasonal variety was sold at Tk 40, while the Indian one cost Tk 40 as well in several kitchen markets.

On September 14 last year, the government withdrew import duties on onion and reduced that on sugar by 10 per cent to stabilise the prices of the two essential commodities in the local market.

Per litre of bottled soybean oil is currently being sold for Tk 160, and the non-bottled variety for Tk 136. Five-litre bottled soybean oil is being sold for Tk 760, and palm oil for Tk 118.

On January 6, the commerce ministry rejected a proposal from the Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association seeking to hike edible oil prices by Tk 8-10 per litre once again.

On January 3, the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) began selling essential commodities for low-income people to keep prices within their buying capacity. It will continue to sell essential commodities by using 400-450 trucks across the country till January 27.

TCB is selling Soybean oil at Tk 110 per litre, sugar at Tk 55 per kg, lentils at Tk 60 per kg, and onions at Tk 30 per kg. A consumer can buy a maximum of two kgs of sugar, two kgs of lentils, and two litres of soybean oil from the TCB trucks.