Economic Reporter :
The prices of meat went up at the kitchen markets in the capital this week, while vegetable and rice prices stabilized.
As there is no lockdown at the moment, weddings and other events have resumed, leading to a higher demand for meat and poultry.
Broiler chicken was being sold at Tk135-140 per kg on Saturday, while Sonali chicken cost Tk210-220 per kg. Local chicken was being sold at Tk400-410 per kg.
Meanwhile, beef sold for Tk580-600 per kg on Saturday, while mutton prices ranged between Tk800-850 per kg.
Lutfor Hasan, a butcher at Karwan Bazar, said: “As the lockdown has been lifted, demand for chicken and red meat is on the rise for weddings and other celebrations. As the demand has gone up, so have the prices.”
The price of staple food rice has remained stable as prices were the same throughout the week: Miniket rice sold at Tk60-62 per kg, Nazirshail at Tk62-65 per kg, Atash Balam at Tk50-54 per kg, Paijam at Tk50-55 per kg, Guti Swarna at Tk50 per kg, and Chinigura rice sold at Tk90-95 per kg as of Saturday.
In order to control the price of rice, the import duty on rice has been reduced by 36.75%, so sellers are expecting prices to fall in coming weeks.
Vegetable prices have also remained the same, with no hikes reported from the start of the week.
Visiting several kitchen markets around the capital including those in Hatirpool, New Market, Mohakhali, and Mugda, Dhaka Tribune found that the price of edible oil, lentil, and sugar have also risen by about Tk5-8 per kg in the last week.
Loose soyabean oil was being sold at Tk138-140 per litre in the kitchen markets – a Tk5 rise from last week.
Similarly, the price of sugar has also gone up by Tk5 per kg, costing between Tk72 and Tk80.
Joynul Abedin, a grocer at Karwan Bazar, said: “Sugar prices have been increasing in the last couple of days. Earlier, per kg sugar was being sold at Tk68-72, now it is being sold at Tk75-85.”
Another vendor from the market Tutul Hossain said imported white sugar is being sold at Tk72 per kg in the retail market, while local brown sugar is being sold at Tk82.
Globally, the price of raw sugar has currently risen to above $430 per ton against $340 per ton in February.
The steady spike in prices was aided by a 7% fall in sugar output in south-central Brazil between April and July. This is expected to pull down the global surplus in the ongoing sugar season 2021-22 underpinned the price rally in the past few days.
And lentils, which were sold at Tk95 to100 per kg last week, are now being sold at Tk105 per kg.
Prices of green chilies came down this week, selling for Tk90-120 per kg.
When asked, seller Mominul Bepari at Hatirpoor kitchen market said: “In the coming days, there is a possibility of prices coming back to normal as imported chillies are entering the market.”
