Chicken prices keep falling as supply increases

Broiler and Sonali chicken prices in the capital’s kitchen markets have come down further within a week due to increased supply and low demand among consumers.

On Monday, broiler chicken was sold at Tk 143-145 per kg, down from Tk 147-150 per kg last week.

Sonali chicken was sold at Tk 265-270 per kg compared to Tk 270-275 per kg a week earlier. The price was Tk 290-295 per kg in mid-September and later climbed up to Tk 310-320 in mid-October.

Md Jasim of Al Baraka Chicken House in Mirpur-1 said broiler chicken prices had been falling in the last couple of weeks due to low demand.

Meanwhile, a number of consumers expressed their disappointment over the price hike of all essential commodities, especially soybean oil and vegetables, while speaking to The Business Post.

They claimed prices were still high though winter vegetables were available in the market.

Onion prices remained stable in the capital’s kitchen markets in the last couple of weeks. A kilogramme of the essential kitchen item’s local variety was sold at Tk 60-65 while the Indian one cost Tk 48-50 on Monday.

On November 17, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said commodity prices would not come down in Bangladesh as long as the rates were high in the international market.

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) started selling essential goods through its trucks on November 3. This will continue till November 28, excluding holidays.

TCB sells soybean oil at Tk 110 per litre, sugar at Tk 55 per kg, lentil at Tk 60 per kg, and onion at Tk 30 per kg.

It increased soybean oil prices to Tk 110 a litre from Tk 100 and lentil to Tk 60 a kilogramme from Tk 55.

On October 19, Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association raised soybean oil prices by Tk 7 per litre and palm oil by Tk 3 per litre.

Besides, per litre non-bottled soybean oil now costs Tk 136 per litre, five-litre bottled soybean oil Tk 760, and per litre palm oil Tk 118 in the market.

On September 14, 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.

On September 9, the government fixed new prices of packaged and non-packaged sugar for the first time.

The maximum retail price of per kg non-packaged sugar was set at Tk 74, which was Tk 80 in the market, and that of packaged sugar at Tk 75, which was Tk 85.