Staff Reporter :
Prices of potato, onions and some vegetables witnessed a hike further in the city’s kitchen markets adding more woes to the consumers.
Among the cooking items, potato and onion prices witnessed a fresh hike significantly blaming shortage of supply, although sufficient stocks were seen in the markets. Price of potato and onion shoot up by Tk10-20 per Kg.
Visiting different kitchen markets in the city, this correspondent found that the prices of stored potato of the cardinal, diamond and carage varieties, which normally decline gradually between November and January following the arrival of new crops in the market, have been showing an upward trend for weeks.
Potato was selling at Tk 50 per Kg while onion, specially imported one, was selling at Tk 100-110 per kg from Tk 70-80 a kg earlier. Local onion, however, was selling at its previous high rate of Tk 90-100 a kg.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded a 40-45 per cent hike of imported onion prices in a week while 100 percent hike in potato price in a year.
Mozammel Hoque Choudhury, Secretary of Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, said the demand for stored potato remained higher this year amid high prices of vegetables.
Heavy rain and flood caused damage to early varieties of potato and vegetables which fuelled the surge in demand, he added.
He further said the cold storage owners were selling seed potato for which the prices were a little bit higher.
Bangladesh produces around 11 million tons of potatoes annually and its demand for 8.0 million tonnes, according to the agriculture ministry. The country has also initiated to export potato Nepal, Brunei, Sri Lanka, and Fiji for the first time this year.
The consumers have raised question that it is illogical to export potato without meeting the country’s demand properly.
On the other hand, end of older stocks and presently low import have fueled up the prices of imported onions in the kitchen markets, traders blamed.
According to Plant Quarantine Winf of Chattogram Port, only 285 tonnes of onion has been imported so far from other sources than India since the country imposed a ban on onion export from September 14 last.
Some vegetables, including pointed gourd, cucumber and green chilli, witnessed further hike by Tk 20 a kg in a week. Cucumber was selling at Tk 90-110, pointed gourd at Tk 75-90 and green chilli at Tk 240-260 a kg on Friday.
Broiler chicken also witnessed a hike by Tk 10 a kg as selling at Tk 135-145 a kg on the day. Farm egg prices remained same at previous high of Tk 37-38 per four pieces. Broiler chicken witnessed a slight hike too during the period.
Prices of potato, onions and some vegetables witnessed a hike further in the city’s kitchen markets adding more woes to the consumers.
Among the cooking items, potato and onion prices witnessed a fresh hike significantly blaming shortage of supply, although sufficient stocks were seen in the markets. Price of potato and onion shoot up by Tk10-20 per Kg.
Visiting different kitchen markets in the city, this correspondent found that the prices of stored potato of the cardinal, diamond and carage varieties, which normally decline gradually between November and January following the arrival of new crops in the market, have been showing an upward trend for weeks.
Potato was selling at Tk 50 per Kg while onion, specially imported one, was selling at Tk 100-110 per kg from Tk 70-80 a kg earlier. Local onion, however, was selling at its previous high rate of Tk 90-100 a kg.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded a 40-45 per cent hike of imported onion prices in a week while 100 percent hike in potato price in a year.
Mozammel Hoque Choudhury, Secretary of Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, said the demand for stored potato remained higher this year amid high prices of vegetables.
Heavy rain and flood caused damage to early varieties of potato and vegetables which fuelled the surge in demand, he added.
He further said the cold storage owners were selling seed potato for which the prices were a little bit higher.
Bangladesh produces around 11 million tons of potatoes annually and its demand for 8.0 million tonnes, according to the agriculture ministry. The country has also initiated to export potato Nepal, Brunei, Sri Lanka, and Fiji for the first time this year.
The consumers have raised question that it is illogical to export potato without meeting the country’s demand properly.
On the other hand, end of older stocks and presently low import have fueled up the prices of imported onions in the kitchen markets, traders blamed.
According to Plant Quarantine Winf of Chattogram Port, only 285 tonnes of onion has been imported so far from other sources than India since the country imposed a ban on onion export from September 14 last.
Some vegetables, including pointed gourd, cucumber and green chilli, witnessed further hike by Tk 20 a kg in a week. Cucumber was selling at Tk 90-110, pointed gourd at Tk 75-90 and green chilli at Tk 240-260 a kg on Friday.
Broiler chicken also witnessed a hike by Tk 10 a kg as selling at Tk 135-145 a kg on the day. Farm egg prices remained same at previous high of Tk 37-38 per four pieces. Broiler chicken witnessed a slight hike too during the period.
