The devastating flood in many districts of the country has affected the market of some daily commodities.
The prices of rice, pulses, onions, and eggs have increased due to supply shortages, disruption in production, and fear of future crises. Sellers attribute this price increase to the damages occurred to the Aman paddy amid droughts in various districts and the fear of future shortages.
They believe that the market price for rice is increasing due to the fear that there may be a shortage at the end of the Boro season and in the beginning of the next Aman season.
However, the production of Boro rice this year has increased by 8.21 per cent compared to last harvest, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
DAE states that BRRI-11 variety rice is currently being sold at Tk 52-56 per kilogramme, which was Tk 50-56 per kg a month ago. BRRI-28 and BRRI-29 are being sold at Tk 56-60 per kg, which was Tk 55-58 per kg, respectively. Meanwhile, Balam and Paijam varieties are being sold at Tk 60-80 and 58-80 per kg, respectively.
Md Yunus, a rice vendor of the Maniknagar kitchen market in Dhaka, claimed that there is no shortage of rice supply and said, “The price of rice has been slowly increasing for the past week. Earlier, it remained steady for a few weeks.
“Every year, the prices are slightly higher in August and September. However, this year the price was falling until the sudden flood,” Yunus added.
According to the information sourced from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), in this last week, the price of fine rice has increased by Tk 4 per kg and is being sold at Tk 64-80 a kilo at retail in various markets including the Mirpur-1 Raw Market, New Market, Rampura Bazar, and Mohammadpur Town Hall kitchen markets.
As per TCB data, the price of all types of rice, including fine, medium and coarse, has increased up to 9.50 per cent as against last year.
The price of local onion has increased by Tk 10 per kg since the beginning of the flood and it is being sold at Tk 120 per kg. Just a week ago, this variety was Tk 110 per kg at retail.
The floods have caused extensive damage to fish, chicken, and cattle farms in several districts, leading to a decline in the supply of eggs, chicken, and many varieties of fish in various markets, including those of the capital, leading to slight increase in their prices.
Chickpea is being sold at Tk 120 per kg, it was priced at Tk 110 per kg just a week ago.
Meanwhile, it was seen in various kitchen markets of the capital, including the one at Segunbagicha, that farm eggs were being sold at Tk 160 per dozen on Monday, which was Tk 150 just four days ago.
Like eggs, broiler chicken prices have also increased by Tk 10 per kg and are being sold at Tk 170-180 per kg, which was Tk 160-170 just two to three days ago.
Noor Mohammad, an egg seller at the Segunbagicha market, said that the supply of eggs in the wholesale markets has decreased. So the wholesalers are keeping the price higher.
Meanwhile, the prices of some pulses including lentils and chickpeas have increased in the wholesale market with wholesalers claiming that the wholesale price of coarse lentils was Tk 103 per kg just a week ago. That amount has increased to Tk 113 a kilo this week.
