Economic Reporter :
The prices of rice, sugar, edible oil have remained the same in the last seven days maintaining their earlier high and a large number of the population, especially the poor and low-income groups, still suffer for the high price.
Soyabeen oil was selling at Tk 140 per litre. The price is recorded in a decade.
The Commerce Ministry held several meetings with the stakeholders and made reports on the market situation but all the efforts have failed to pull the rein of the price hike.
Selim Raihan, Executive Director of South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), said that the price hike of the essential commodities like rice and edible oil will increase sufferings of the low and middle income people amid the pandemic.
He also expressed his dissatisfaction over the government measures to curb the price hike.
Biswajit Saha, Director of the City Group, said that the price of edible oil has increased abnormally in the international markets. We demanded repeatedly to reduce duty on imported edible oil but it is yet be implemented, he added. The country has an annual demand of about 1.5 million tonnes of edible oil. 90 per cent of them are being imported. Several importers are selling in the domestic markets by refining the edible oil.
Besides, the prices of Atta, chicken, onion, garlic, and lemon witnessed a hike battering the consumers further.
Packet Atta (coarse wheat flour) prices were raised by Tk 2.0 a kg by leading companies in a week. The two-kg packet price has increased to Tk 74 from Tk 70 at the retail level earlier.
Juel Rana, a grocer at West Dhanmondi, said one kg Atta pack would cost Tk 40 a kg. He said one-kg packs were yet to be supplied.
However, loose Atta, loose, and packet Maida prices remained static at their previous high. Traders said wheat flour prices were increasing following the global price hike.
According to the international web-portal Index Mundi, wheat prices have increased by 10-11 per cent in the last three months.
Broiler chicken prices increased by Tk 10 a kg to Tk 135-145 a kg on Thursday. Prices of onion showed a hike of Tk 5.0 a kg at the retail level.
Local early harvested onion, known as murikata, was retailed at Tk 35-45 a kg depending on quality. Prices of lemon, a citrus fruit in high demand amid the pandemic, increased significantly, every four pieces were sold at Tk 45-60 last week.
Atiar Rahman, a vegetable vendor at East Rayerbazar, said lemon prices doubled in the last one and half weeks amid supply shortage in the off-season.
He said supply from key growing hubs like Sylhet, Manikganj, Narsingdi, hilly regions of Chattogram division, and other districts declined notably.
Garlic prices also witnessed a hike of Tk 10-30 a kg last week. Imported Chinese garlic was retailed at Tk 140-160 a kg and local garlic at Tk 120-130 a kg on the day.
The prices of rice, sugar, edible oil have remained the same in the last seven days maintaining their earlier high and a large number of the population, especially the poor and low-income groups, still suffer for the high price.
Soyabeen oil was selling at Tk 140 per litre. The price is recorded in a decade.
The Commerce Ministry held several meetings with the stakeholders and made reports on the market situation but all the efforts have failed to pull the rein of the price hike.
Selim Raihan, Executive Director of South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), said that the price hike of the essential commodities like rice and edible oil will increase sufferings of the low and middle income people amid the pandemic.
He also expressed his dissatisfaction over the government measures to curb the price hike.
Biswajit Saha, Director of the City Group, said that the price of edible oil has increased abnormally in the international markets. We demanded repeatedly to reduce duty on imported edible oil but it is yet be implemented, he added. The country has an annual demand of about 1.5 million tonnes of edible oil. 90 per cent of them are being imported. Several importers are selling in the domestic markets by refining the edible oil.
Besides, the prices of Atta, chicken, onion, garlic, and lemon witnessed a hike battering the consumers further.
Packet Atta (coarse wheat flour) prices were raised by Tk 2.0 a kg by leading companies in a week. The two-kg packet price has increased to Tk 74 from Tk 70 at the retail level earlier.
Juel Rana, a grocer at West Dhanmondi, said one kg Atta pack would cost Tk 40 a kg. He said one-kg packs were yet to be supplied.
However, loose Atta, loose, and packet Maida prices remained static at their previous high. Traders said wheat flour prices were increasing following the global price hike.
According to the international web-portal Index Mundi, wheat prices have increased by 10-11 per cent in the last three months.
Broiler chicken prices increased by Tk 10 a kg to Tk 135-145 a kg on Thursday. Prices of onion showed a hike of Tk 5.0 a kg at the retail level.
Local early harvested onion, known as murikata, was retailed at Tk 35-45 a kg depending on quality. Prices of lemon, a citrus fruit in high demand amid the pandemic, increased significantly, every four pieces were sold at Tk 45-60 last week.
Atiar Rahman, a vegetable vendor at East Rayerbazar, said lemon prices doubled in the last one and half weeks amid supply shortage in the off-season.
He said supply from key growing hubs like Sylhet, Manikganj, Narsingdi, hilly regions of Chattogram division, and other districts declined notably.
Garlic prices also witnessed a hike of Tk 10-30 a kg last week. Imported Chinese garlic was retailed at Tk 140-160 a kg and local garlic at Tk 120-130 a kg on the day.
