Abdullah Al Masum
Retailers have revved up the prices of rice, catching the low-income group off guard particularly in the time of extended lockdown.
For the last few weeks, prices of rice in the capital increased by TK 2 – Tk 4 a kg as coarse rice is being sold at Tk 46-Tk50, medium quality at Tk 52-56 while fine rice was being sold at Tk 62-Tk 68/kg.
Balam rice was selling at Tk 52-53, one of the BRRI varieties at Tk 52-56, KathaliBeruin at Tk 60-61, KatariBhog at Tk 52-60, Paijam at Tk 46-50 in different retail stores in the capital of Dhaka.
Traders blamed the continued lockdown and disruption in supply chain for the current spell of price hike.
Prices of rice started going up in Dhaka from last Tuesday, according to traders.
Mohammad Ramij Uddin, a rice retailer at a market in the Banani, said the price of coarse rice, consumed mainly by low-income people, rose by Tk 2-4 a kg in the last couple of weeks. Different varieties of fine rice such as nazirshail and miniket also saw their prices up by Tk 3-5 during the same period.
Md. Sanaullah, the owner of General Store at Farmgate, said prices of rice increased by Tk 2-3/Kg on the Krishi Market from last Tuesday at the wholesale level.
“Prices can be hiked further in future if the lockdown continues to linger,” he added.
Salim Uddin, the owner of Maa Enterprise, said there is little import of rice due to the pandemic situation.
“Rice prices might go up further after their current stocks run out,” Salim said adding that the price of rice will come down in the next Boro season.
Saidul Huq, a customer at the Farmgate, used to buy miniket at Tk 62/kg but now he has to pay Tk 65 per kilogram for the same rice. It’s really a higher price for a middle-class family like his one.
“The higher price is one kind of curse for our commoners,” he said.
