No respite for essentials as sugar, oil prices surge
Retail food markets across the capital offered minimal financial relief to consumers this week, as persistent supply chain bottlenecks, distribution squeezes, and essential commodity price spikes continue to strain household budgets.
A comparative analysis of market trends over the past fortnight shows that while increased arrivals of summer vegetables slightly cooled peak prices, key pantry staples including sugar, edible oil, flour, and animal proteins have either surged or remained entrenched at elevated levels.
High-value produce like long brinjal and tomatoes, which previously touched Tk 120-150 per kg, now range between Tk 120 and Tk 130 per kg. However, off-season and premium vegetables remain stubbornly high due to seasonal supply constraints.
Carrots are commanding up to Tk 140 per kg, winter beans are trading at Tk 200 per kg, and yardlong beans sit firmly at Tk 100 per kg.
Standard monsoon produce such as teasel gourd, pointed gourd, and okra has settled into a range of Tk 60 – Tk 80 per kg, down from earlier uniform peaks of Tk 80 per kg.
The most notable relief appeared in the green chili market. Driven by increased import inflows from India through Karwan Bazar wholesale hubs, retail prices plummeted from an exorbitant Tk 400 per kg two weeks ago to Tk 120-160 per kg this Friday. Tuber and spice staples showed mixed trends: local onions remained stable at Tk 55-60 per kg, while retail potato prices held steady at Tk 25-30 per kg, supported by bulk offerings from mobile vendors at Tk 100 per 5 kg.
Conversely, grocery essentials witnessed fresh inflationary shocks. Retail sugar prices climbed by Tk 10 per kg over the past week to hit Tk 120-125 per kg, triggered by a Tk 900-1,000 price surge per 50 kg sack at the mill-gate and dealer level. Concurrently, an artificial crunch hit the bottled soybean oil market, where distributors curtailed supply in anticipation of an upcoming price revision, though retail rates officially remained pegged at Tk 200 per litre. Flour prices also ticked upward, with packaged varieties reaching Tk 70-75 per kg.
The protein basket continues to squeeze low- and middle-income families. Broiler chicken held firm at Tk 190 – Tk 200 per kg, while Sonali chicken ranged between Tk 320 – Tk 340 per kg.
Brown eggs remained elevated at Tk 140-150 per dozen in retail hubs, scaling up to Tk 160 in neighborhood stores.
In the fish market, entry-level species like tilapia and pangas hovered between Tk 230 and Tk 260 per kg, while premium Hilsa remained out of reach for general consumers, fetching up to Tk 3,000 per 1.3 kg piece.
