The Iftar platter is likely to become more pricey, with daily essentials becoming too dear just as Ramadan began yesterday. The sudden jump in prices of essential commodities like sugar, eggplants, cucumber, carrot, onion and chicken started last week. Traders attributed this to the high demand for essentials during this month as these commodities are likely to feature in every Iftar platter. Many consumers said the current market hardly reflected the government's assurances that the prices would be within the reach of common people.
The government has promised to take steps to ensure that prices of essential goods do not go beyond the buying capacity of the middle class. Even the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh is ready to tackle any complicated situation that may arise in this regard.
The commerce ministry, Department of Consumer Rights Protection, Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI), safe food department and the city corporations are regularly monitoring the markets. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is keeping an eye on the markets across the country. The government's four intelligence agencies are already working in the market. Different teams formed by these organisations are monitoring the market situation every day.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), under the commerce ministry, sells five essential commodities (lentil pulses, soybean oil, sugar, dates and gram) to keep prices at a relatively low level.
In many other markets, including Karwan Bazar, cucumber yesterday was being sold for Tk. 70-75, up from Tk. 50 last week. Like cucumber, carrot was being sold for TK. 70-80. The most popular Iftar-related item, eggplants, were being sold for Tk. 60-70.
The price of boiler chicken was Tk. 150-170 a kg, up from Tk. 130-140 a week ago. The price of a red cock, which had been sold for Tk. 150-160 last week, was Tk. 180-185.
Beef and mutton prices also increased, with beef selling for Tk. 500-550 and mutton for Tk. 750-800 a kg. The city corporations decided that prices of daily essentials should be listed and showed at the entrance of every store. Even though traders followed this direction for some days, this would not be followed every day of the month, traders predicted.
Dhaka south City Corporation has fixed the price of beef at TK. 450 a kg. But retailers are selling meat at Tk. 500. Prices of rice, lentil, sugar, pulse, gram and salt have shot up, hitting hard the common people. Prices of pulse items like Mung been and grass pea have witnessed a notable hike over the last one week.
In Karwan Bazar, domestic or local onion was being sold for Tk 50-55 a kg and imported onion for Tk 40-45. Only a couple weeks ago, the price of local onions had been Tk 30-34 a kg, while imported onion had been selling for Tk 24-30.
Local garlic was traded between Tk.70 and Tk. 80 per kg. The imported Chinese variety of garlic was selling for Tk 120 per kg. Both local and imported onion prices have increased by Tk. 5 in the last seven days and Tk. 15-20 in the last couple weeks. However, red spinach, green spinach and jute leafy vegetables were selling for Tk. 15-20.
The price of snake gourd, which had been sold for Tk. 40 a kg last week, was selling for Tk. 60-70.
Meanwhile, the papaya has been selling for high prices for the past couple of weeks. It was being sold fort Tk 60-70 per kg.
The price of teasel gourd was Tk.60-70. The price of chilli remained unchanged as it was being sold for Tk. 60- 70 a kg.
Regarding the rising prices of selected items, a trader said:”Now, the prices are high in the market because these items are irreplaceable. At the beginning of the fasting, cucumber, carrot and meat are essential food items and so their prices have increased slightly,”
Buyers expressed concern about the price hike. “A section of consumers is partially responsible for this price hike. They have a tendency to buy some items in bulk ahead of Ramadan. Prices of daily essentials increase ahead of Ramadan because of the syndicate that stockpiles different items,” said one of them.
Most of the buyers claimed that though prices of vegetables and other commodities are low at wholesale markets, they become higher as these items hit the shops of retailers.
IK