Amid the colorful preparation of Bangla new year celebration, the festival gets a touch of sweetness every year with the alluring range of traditional sweet snacks, and this year too, the business is brisk, reports UNB.

The markets of Old Dhaka, Karwan Bazar, Abdullahpur, Jatrabari and Mirpur areas seem to be abuzz with the trading of sweet snacks including Chira, Muri, Gur, Khoi, Kodma, Batasha and many more on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh.

Ahead of the celebration, selling of these items has increased, said the sellers adding that this year the sale has been better than the previous years though the price has also marked some increase.

A customer, Habibullah said, the prices of these dry sweet snacks have increased by up to Tk 10 to 20 per kilogram comparing to last year’s prices.

However, sellers blame the factories for the price rise. Mir Ahammad Ali, a wholesaler and retailer of the items, told UNB that there is no fixed price of these snacks. The price varies from shop to shop.

Many retails the snacks after buying those from Karwan Bazar for which they might cost more, he added.

The mobile stalls in the city sell the items at the rate of Tk 120 to 150 per kg. In these stalls, per kg Kadma and Batasha are sold at Tk 100 to 120, Murali at Tk 80 to 100, Monakka at Tk 80 to 120, Goja at Tk 80 to 100, Mukuldana and toy-shaped candies at Tk 100 to 120.

On the other hand, Moa (a mixture of puffed rice and molasses) are being sold at Tk 140 per kg and Chirar Naru (coconut laddu) are being sold at Tk 50 per packet.

As the festival is drawing nearer, people all over the country are busy making their last minute preparations to celebrate and welcome the first day of Bangla new year, Pahela Baishakh with color and festivity.

Tradition of greeting guests, relatives and friends with the sweet snacks has never been old-fashioned. And as part of the preparation, many have kept these snacks in their shopping list keeping the sellers busy ahead of the festival.