With three days to Eid-ul-Azha, prices of commodities that have demand during the festival shot up in Dhaka’s kitchen markets but the traders said the number of customers has decreased.
Retailers at the kitchen markets find the price hike unusual.
They said usually they faced pressure one day before Eid when people rush for buying commodities associated with meat after purchasing sacrificial animals and prices also slightly increase then. But this year, the prices shot up much earlier.
There is an increased demand for commodities required for festival dishes and ingredients to cook meat, said the traders.
Prices of aromatic rice, lentils, edible oil, sugar, vermicelli, spices like onion, ginger, green chilli, cumin, cardamom, and vegetables like tomato, cucumber, and carrot have shot up.
Mustafizur Rahman, a retailer in the Segunbagicha kitchen market, mentioned that due to the increase in the prices of daily essential goods, their customers are already spending less, and the prices of most products have further increased ahead of Eid. Consequently, customers are buying less compared to before.
Mustafizur said that the price of packed aromatic rice has increased by Tk 10-20 per kg ahead of Eid, and the prices of spices like cumin and cardamom have increased by Tk 200 to Tk 500 per kg.
Sugar prices have increased by Tk 4-5 per kg, local onions by Tk 5 per kg, and edible oil by Tk 5 per litre. The unusual price hike has also affected the vegetable market, with tomato, carrot, potato, and cucumber seeing price increases of Tk 10 per kg.
Prices of green chilli saw the most unusual price hike as it was selling between Tk 350 and Tk 360 per kg which was between Tk 160 and Tk 180 per kg a week ago.
Tomato is being sold at Tk 110-120 per kg, it was at Tk 80-90 per kg one week ago. Potato is being sold at Tk 40-45 per kg, it was at Tk 35-40 per kg one week ago.
Rahima Khatun, a consumer in the Maniknagar kitchen market and a low-income worker, expressed that they cannot afford to buy sacrificial animals, and now they have lost the ability to buy other Eid products.
Prices of the most popular variety of aromatic rice, 1 kg packed of Chinigura rice, are being sold at Tk 170-180 in the retail market, which was earlier Tk 150-160 per kg. Loose Chinigura rice is being sold at Tk 135-140 per kg, up from Tk 130-135 per kg a week ago.
A 5-litre bottle of soybean oil is being sold at Tk 920, up from Tk 900 in the second week of this month. Sugar prices have increased by Tk 10 per kg, ranging from Tk 140-150 per kg.
The government has allowed the import of green chilli and tomato from India to keep the market situation normal ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, as their prices have shot up abnormally in the retail market.
Cumin and cardamom are highly demanded spices during Eid-ul-Azha. Cumin is being sold at Tk 110-120 for 100 grams, up from Tk 50-60 a week ago.
Cardamom is being sold at Tk 260-360 for 100 grams, up from Tk 230-280 a week ago. Ginger is being sold at Tk 280-380 per kg, and garlic is sold at Tk 160-180 per kg.
