Fresh hike adds to woes of low-income people

Prices of essential commodities including all types of lentil, sugar and flour showed a fresh hike last week, intensifying the miseries of general consumers.

Besides, prices of parboiled rice, chicken, egg, onion, vegetables and other essentials maintained their previous highs, according to kitchen market sources.

Prices of all kind of pulses including lentil, anchor, chickpeas, mug and maskalai which slightly declined earlier, shot up again by Tk 5-8 per kg in the city’s wholesale and retail markets.

Moreover, sugar and flour price also increased by Tk 2-5 per kg as there is a shortage of sugar supply in the market, said traders.

Retailers of various kitchen markets in the city, said that lentil price increased by Tk 5 per kg last week due to price hike in wholesale market. Large grain lentil was sold at Tk 100-105 per kg in retail markets on Friday which was available at Tk 95-100 a week ago. Small grain lentil was sold at Tk 135 per kg which was sold at Tk 130 per kg last week.

Price of sugar increased Tk 5 per kg last week due to supply crunch, said traders, adding that, sugar is still not available in many wholesale markets including Karwanbazar of capital. Traders have to buy sugar at high price from where it is still available, they said.

Loose white and brown Sugar was sold at Tk 115 per kg in city’s retail markets on Friday, which was Tk 110 per kg last week. Mostafizur Rahman, a retailer of Segunbagicha kitchen market, said that “Two days ago I bought small and large grain lentil at Tk 127 and Tk 97 per kg from wholesale market, which was Tk 122 and Tk 94, respectively a week ago. The prices of all types of commodities are increasing in the wholesale market.”

Three days back, millers declared that they would increase the supply of sugar but sugar supply in the market has not increased yet while many wholesalers are also stockpiling sugar, he said.

Meanwhile, loose soybean oil was sold at much higher rates compared to the government-fixed price. It was sold at Tk 168-172 a litre against the government fixed rate Tk 158 per litre but bottled soybean oil sold as government fixed rate at Tk 178 per litre.

According to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) flour price increased by Tk2-5 per kg within a week. Loose flour was available at Tk55-58 per kg in retail market on Friday while packaged flour was sold at Tk58-62 per kg. Loose flour (maida) was available at Tk65-68 per kg, while packaged flour was sold at Tk72-75 per kg on city’s kitchen market, TCB data showed. Finer and medium grain rice price remained static at the previous rate of Tk 72-80 and Tk 60-Tk65 per kg while large grain rice was sold at Tk 54-58 per kg in city’s retail markets.

Chicken, egg, onion, vegetables and other essentials’ prices remained static maintaining their previous highs.

Farmed chicken egg was sold at Tk 145-150 a dozen (12 piece) while duck egg at Tk 170-180 on Friday, according to kitchen market sources. Broiler chicken was sold at Tk 170-180 per kg while sonali chicken was available at Tk 300-320 per kg. Besides, Prices of most of the vegetables also remained high while tomato, local bean and carrot were sold at Tk 120-150 per kg on the day. Meanwhile, the government has withdrawn the ban on catching and selling hilsa from Friday after 22 days. Hilsa fish will be available in the market from Friday which may reduce the prices of other fish, traders said.

Shortage of supply also hit the fish market hiking prices of all kinds of fish amid the routine fishing ban in major sanctuaries under the government’s hilsa conservation programme, said traders.