DNCRP warns market committees over commodity price manipulation: Chicken, eggplant, cucumber, lemon and chickpeas become dearer

Reza Mahmud :
Prices of most essential items especially needed in Ramzan become skyrocketed while the Director General of the Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection AHM Shafiquzzaman on Wednesday warned that the market committees would be accountable if essential’s prices become volatile.
He said that after monitoring the Banolota kitchen market in Newmarket in the capital.
The DG said that several agencies and organisations are on monitoring the essential’s markets to control the volatility.
Market sources and consumers said that prices of items mostly consumed during the Ramzan such as chickens, dates, cucumbers, lemon, chickpeas have gone huge up before beginning the holy fasting month.
“I have returned from kitchen market nearly empty handed as the prices of most essentials items needed in Ramzan go unbearably up,” Rahima Begum, a mid aged home maker of Gandaria in the capital told The New Nation on Wednesday noon.
She has bought some spinaches and potatoes only.
“I have planned to buy some cucumbers, lemons and chickpeas, but thundered hearing the prices as cucumber selling at Tk 100, lemons at Tk 40 per four pieces and the others prices also high,” Rahima Begum described.

“Price of eggplant was Tk 40 to 50 per kg in nearby Jurain kitchen market on Monday, but today (Wednesday) the traders charging Tk 100 per kg,” Rahima Begum said.
She said that her family may not take the delicious iftary item make with eggplant in this Ramadan.
Consumers and traders in Gandaria, Jurain, Doyagonj and Jatrabari kitchen markets in the capital said, the prices of the Ramzan commodities already hiked in several days ahead of the holy month.
The price situation in wholesale markets in Shambazar and Karwanbazar also found in upwarded. Traders and consumers of the other retail markets like Hatirpool, Rampura, Mohakhali also expressed the similar.
As per the buyers bitter experience, the prices of varieties of dates have been increased by Tk 30 to 50 per kg.
They said the people of lower income group taking part in fasting in Ramzan could not take sufficient dates during breaking the fasting (iftary) due to such price hikes.
Chickpeas, the most essential iftary items are being sold at Tk 85 to Tk 95 per kg in different markets instead of Tk 65 sold one week ago.
The cucumber, one of the most preferred iftary items also sold at Tk 90 to 100 per kg which was selling at Tk 40 till Monday. Lemon, which is needed to make juice during iftary also become dearer as it is sold at Tk 40 to 50 per four pieces. The common people expressed anger over the volatility of essential commodity markets.
“Broiler chickens are selling at Tk 280 in markets which is record high. Only chicken was the low price source of protein for the lower income group people so far. But now it has also become the item of rich people, the poor and middle income group people may not take meat anymore,” Saifuddin Ahmed, a private office staff in Motijheel told The New Nation.
Nasiruddin Talukder, Assistant Director of the Trading Corporation Bangladesh (TCB) said the eggplants are selling at Tk 80 to 100 per kg today (Wednesday) which was sold at Tk 40 to 65 per kg before the week.
He also acknowledged that Chickpeas also sold at Tk 90 on Wednesday instead of Tk 65 selling several days ago.