Higher
prices of vegetables and other commodities in city kitchen market is
making life of the common people unbearable. Vegetables prices are
staying up over the past two months while prices of rice also showed up
over the past week. In fact not a single item showed downward. The
market is not returning at affordable level at a time when income level
of common people has gone down in one hand due to coronavirus while
prices of most items increased in the market on the other mainly
exploited by traders. Traders blame rains and floods for abnormal
rise of vegetables price in the first place. Prices slightly downed
after flood water receded recently but vegetables prices remained
incredibly up holding buyers hostage to a virtual non-responsive market. The
market has enough supply, people maintain saying it is not a crisis
from supply shortage. Traders are exploiting the situation under many
excuses. Supply of broilers and fish has increased and prices showed declining on Saturday.
Visiting
the kitchen market in the city this correspondent found that brinjil
was sold at Tk 60 to Tk 70 a kg, papaya for Tk 40 to Tk 45, bitter gourd
for Tk 65 to Tk 70, okra for Tk 70, bottle gourd for Tk 60 to Tk 70
apiece, Chinese okra sold at Tk 60 a kg, beans for Tk 90 to Tk 120,
cucumber for Tk 70 and tomato for Tk 120 and above. The price of
green chili increased by Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg to sell at Tk 200 to Tk
220 a kg. Local onion and ginger sold at Tk 80 to Tk 90 a kg while the
imported onion sold for around Tk 70 a kg. Imported ginger sold for
Tk 220 to Tk 230 a kg. Local ginger sold at Tk 120 to Tk 150 a kg on
Friday. Price of garlic remained unchanged over the week-end. Imported
garlic retailed at Tk 100 a kg while the local variety sold for Tk 120 a
kg. Miniket rice was sold at Tk 52 to Tk 54 a kg. Fine variety was
sold at Tk 55 to Tk 56 a kg while Basmati sold at Tk 58 to Tk 60 a kg,
Atap rice sold at Tk 55 to Tk 60 a kg and paijams rice at Tk 45. Flour
sold at Tk 45 to Tk 46 a kg. Boiled rice sold at Tk 42 to 44 a kg. Proprietor
of Bikrampur Rice Store at Segun Bagicha kitchen market said prices of
coarse rice have increased more than the fine ones. He was selling Miniket at Tk 2,800 to Tk 3,000 per sack of 50 kg. The price of coarse rice was Tk 2,450 to Tk 2,550. "Millers have told us paddy price hike has driven the rice prices up," he said. Fish
prices were mostly steady while Hilsha sold at lower prices. Rohita was
selling at Tk 250 to Tk 320 a kg, Katla at Tk 200 to Tk 300, Pangas at
Tk 120 to Tk 180 and Tilapia at Tk 120 to Tk 180 a kg. Meat prices were
stable on Saturday selling at Tk 550 to Tk 600 per kg, mutton sold at Tk
750 to Tk 800 per kg. Prices of per liter soybean oil of some brands have gone up to Tk 115 per litre, increasing twice in a month.