Prices of essential commodities remain high

Staff Reporter :
The fish market in the capital city Dhaka has been most volatile for the last few weeks with an unusual price hike. The prices of all kind of fish have increased abnormally as lower rated Telapia and Pangas fish are being sold at Tk 200 to Tk 250.

Along with other daily essential commodities, improperly fish price hike makes another burden for middle and low income group people to maintain their family, forcing them to cut protein from their daily meals.

Riaz Uddin, a motor garage mechanic, talked with The New Nation at Khilgaon kitchen market saying that people like us who are living with low wages are impossible to survive in this country.

I don’t believe there is any authority in the country. If there is, how every day the necessary products prices hike? he said.

“You can’t imagine how much the fish price has hiked, such as Panggas, Telapia are being sold at Tk 250, cultivated Puti at Tk 800”.
Good quality river and canal fish prices are also unbelievably high as Hilsa fishes are sold at a price of Tk 1500-1800, Rui fish Tk 500, Katal fish Tk 500-600, Kaliboush fish Tk 700, Shrimp Tk 1100-1200, Kanchki fish Tk 800, Tengra Tk 850 and Pabda Tk 500 per kg.
On the other hand, despite import, the price of onion still remained high in retail market as local onion is being sold at Tk 70 to Tk 80 while Indian onion at Tk 50 to Tk 60.

Vegetables like parble and ladies finger were selling under Tk 50 while the price of chicken has been reduced by Tk 10 to Tk 20 per kg.
Beef was sold at a price of Tk 780-800 last week. It was being sold at Tk 770-800 on Friday. .

Eggplants are sold at Tk 60-70 per kg, cucumber at Tk 60, bitter guards at Tk 60-70, papaya at Tk 50-60, carrot Tk 80-120, tomato Tk 100, sweet pumpkin Tk 40, orka Tk 55-60 Tk, pointed gourd Tk 70-90, chichinga Tk 50-70, dhundal Tk 60-80, green Chilli Tk 120, coriander Tk 100 per kg and gourd Tk 60-70 per piece.

Vegetable seller Jabbar Ali from New Market said that the price of vegetables has not increased much. The prices of eggplant and cucumber have decreased slightly.

Apart from this, potato is being sold at Tk 40, local ginger Tk 300, Chinese ginger Tk 360 and garlic at Tk 160-170 per kg.
Besides, the price of broiler chicken is Tk 185-190, cock chicken Tk 253-260, local chicken Tk 650, beef Tk 770-800 per kg.
Shihab Uddin, a chicken seller, said the prices of broiler and cockerels have come down.

“Last week I sold broiler chickens at Tk 195-198 per kg. Today (Friday) I am selling for Tk 185-190,” he said.

However, the price of packet Polao rice has increased. Earlier, it was sold at Tk 150 per kg and now at Tk 165. Musar dal was sold at Tk 130, Mung dal Tk 120, Khesari dal Tk 80, Buter dal Tk 95, Chickpea Tk 85, Sugar Tk 130, Flour Tk 130 (2 kg packet), Open flour Tk 63, Soybean oil (packet) Tk 199, Open soybean oil is Tk 180 and open mustard oil is Tk 250 per litre.

Mannan Sheikh, owner of a grocery store said that the price of grocery items is almost the same as before. However, the price of packet Polao rice has increased. “Even after Eid, we used to sell at Tk 150, now it is being sold at Tk 165 per kg,” he added.