Staff Reporter :
While vegetable and rice prices keeps down, the meat and egg prices remain uptick puts pressure on the common people.
Sources said, to keep the rice market stable, the government allowed the private sector to import 500,000 tonnes of rice last August. With the imported rice entering the market, supply has increased and prices have begun to fall. Traders said that rice prices in the market have dropped by Tk 2 to Tk 4 per kg.
Currently, depending on quality, Nazirshail rice is selling at Tk 76-82 per kg, down from Tk 80-86 last week. This means the price of Nazirshail rice has dropped by Tk 4 per kg.
Various branded Miniket rice is selling on average at Tk 74-79 per kg, compared to Tk 76-82 last week. Medium-grade BRRI-28 rice is selling at Tk 59-61 per kg, compared to Tk 61-64 last week. Paijam rice is now Tk 59-60 per kg, down from Tk 61-62. Swarna and Guti rice are being sold at Tk 52-54 per kg, compared to Tk 54-56 last week.
Zahidul Alam, an owner of a rice agency in Karwan Bazar, said that while the supply of parboiled rice has increased and prices dropped, the polao rice market remains high. The price of a 25-kg sack of polao rice, which used to be Tk 2,150, has climbed to Tk 2,450 over the past two weeks. Rice that previously sold at Tk 85 per kg is now Tk 98, while those that were Tk 101 have risen to Tk 110.
Conversations with buyers and sellers revealed that after several weeks of continuous hikes, there is now some relief in the vegetable market. Traders said that prices have fallen as the supply of seasonal vegetables has increased during the Bengali month of Ashwin.
Abdul Khaleque, a vegetable vendor at Shayambazar, said, “Prices have come down as supplies increased. Prices will decrease further in the coming days.”
However, compared to wholesale, the decline in retail prices has been much slower. Shahrin Hossain, a customer, came from Hatirpool area, said, “Since the beginning of Ashwin, fresh vegetables have been produced in rural areas. This has lowered wholesale prices, but retail prices haven’t dropped much. Market monitoring is imperative in this regard.”
A market visit on Friday showed that within a week, the price of green chili dropped to Tk 150 per kg, down from Tk 180-200. Tomatoes that were Tk 120-130 are now Tk 100. Bitter gourd that was Tk 80-100 is now Tk 50-60, okra and pointed gourd that were Tk 70-80 are now Tk 50-60, long eggplant that was Tk 100-120 is now Tk 60-70, round eggplant that was Tk 130-160 is now Tk 100-120, snake gourd that was Tk 70-80 is now Tk 60, bottle gourd that was Tk 80 is now Tk 60, and papaya that was Tk 30-40 is now Tk 20-30 per kg.
At the same time, spine gourd is selling at Tk 60 per kg, taro at Tk 50-60, cucumber at Tk 50-60, carrot at Tk 90-100, and coriander leaves at Tk 100-120.
Like vegetables, the prices of onions and potatoes have also fallen. Onions are now selling at Tk 70-75 per kg and potatoes at Tk 20-22 per kg.
Despite the relief in the vegetable market, chicken prices have gone up.
Broiler chicken is selling at Tk 180 per kg, while Pakistani Sonali cock is selling between Tk 250 and Tk 300 depending on size and quality. Industry insiders said that higher production costs in the poultry sector have pushed up chicken prices.
Sadique Ahmed, a shopper at Jurainbazar, said, ‘Vegetable prices have eased a bit, but meat is slipping out of reach. With our limited income, we expect the government to step in and regulate the market so that daily essentials are affordable.’
Meat prices remain steep. Broiler chicken is selling at Tk180 per kg, Pakistani Sonali cocks at Tk300-350, beef at Tk750, and mutton at Tk1,050 per kg. According to traders, rising production costs are largely responsible for the persistent price pressure.”
Meanwhile, egg prices have risen by Tk 5-10 per dozen in the past week. At Karwan Bazar in the capital, red eggs are selling at Tk 140 per dozen and white eggs at Tk 130. However, in neighborhood retail markets, eggs are being sold at Tk 150 per dozen.
Fish prices, however, remain stable according to vendors. Prices of farmed freshwater fish such as rui, catla, tilapia, and sarputi have not changed significantly. Rui and catla are being sold at Tk 350-400 per kg, while tilapia is selling at Tk 220-240. Although most other fish prices are stable, traders said that the price of hilsa is on the rise.
