Staff Reporter :
Rice prices have increased again after a brief respite over the past three weeks.
Prices of coarse and medium qualities of rice, which witnessed slight decline earlier this month with the start of import through the private channel, increased again by Tk 2.0-3.0 per kilogram (kg), pushing the staple up to its previous high, said traders.
Coarse rice was retailed at Tk 48-50 per kg and the medium variety at Tk 55-58 in the city market on Thursday, the last day of the week.
However, prices of finer varieties were static at their previous high of Tk 65-72 a kg, according to the traders.
The state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded a 3.0 -5.0 per cent rise in rice
prices in a week while the current prices are 30-45 per cent higher than a year back.
Traders said slow pace of imports amid a rising trend in global prices is responsible for the high cost in the local markets. The government last month cut import duty on rice to 25 per cent from 62.5 per cent earlier. The government also announced that it would import 1.0 million tonnes of rice. It also permitted the private sector to import another 1.0 million tonnes from the international market.
Both the government and the private sector imported 52,000 tonnes of rice till January 25, 2021, according to the food ministry.
Rice prices have increased again after a brief respite over the past three weeks.
Prices of coarse and medium qualities of rice, which witnessed slight decline earlier this month with the start of import through the private channel, increased again by Tk 2.0-3.0 per kilogram (kg), pushing the staple up to its previous high, said traders.
Coarse rice was retailed at Tk 48-50 per kg and the medium variety at Tk 55-58 in the city market on Thursday, the last day of the week.
However, prices of finer varieties were static at their previous high of Tk 65-72 a kg, according to the traders.
The state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded a 3.0 -5.0 per cent rise in rice
prices in a week while the current prices are 30-45 per cent higher than a year back.
Traders said slow pace of imports amid a rising trend in global prices is responsible for the high cost in the local markets. The government last month cut import duty on rice to 25 per cent from 62.5 per cent earlier. The government also announced that it would import 1.0 million tonnes of rice. It also permitted the private sector to import another 1.0 million tonnes from the international market.
Both the government and the private sector imported 52,000 tonnes of rice till January 25, 2021, according to the food ministry.
