The price of onion shot up to Tk 110 a kg on the retail market in the city as supply chain disrupted due to frequent blockade enforced by the opposition alliance.
Traders said that both wholesale and retail markets faced severe supply shortage in last three days as supply of the item decreased by 80 per cent due to volatile situation.
They said that they had sold the item at Tk 30-Tk 40 a kg on Friday in the wholesale market while the item was sold at Tk 60-Tk 80 a kg in the retail market.
The price of onion increased by Tk 30-Tk 40 a kg in last two days in both retail and wholesale markets.
The local variety of onion was selling at Tk 110 a kg in the city’s kitchen markets on Tuesday while the imported variety was selling at Tk 90-Tk 100 a kg.
Abul Kalam Azad, an onion importer at Shambazar, told New Age that more than three hundred onion laden trucks were stuck at Hilli, Bhomra, Shonamosjid and Benapole land ports.
He said that, in a normal day, more than 50 trucks of onion usually enter into Shambazar, but now only three or four trucks come to the market in a day.
‘The truck owners increased fares more than five times as they have huge risk of vandalism or arson. Two trucks from Hilli land port had agreed to carry onion to Shambazar on Monday night with Tk 1.2 lakh each as fares,’ Azad said, adding that in the normal situation the truck fare from Hilli to Dhaka is not more than Tk 25,000.
He said that the wholesale price of imported onion was Tk 90 a kg and local
onion was Tk 100 a kg at Shambazar on Tuesday.
The prices of vegetables remained high and ginger price increased in the retail markets due to supply shortage.
Bangladesh Kanchamal Arot Malik Samiti president Emran Master said that this is the time for reduced prices of vegetables as cultivation of winter vegetables is sufficient this year but consumers are not getting the price benefit due to hartal and blockade.
Bean was retailing at Tk 60-80 a kilogram, cauliflower at Tk 40 a piece, cabbage at Tk 30 a piece, aubergine at Tk 60 a kg, okra at Tk 70 a kg, bitter gourd at Tk 60 a kg, cucumber at Tk 50 a kg and papaya at Tk 20 a kg on the day.
The price of green chilli increased by Tk 20 a kg and was selling at Tk 100 a kg on Tuesday.
The price of ginger increased by Tk 20 a kg and was selling at Tk 180 a kg while the local variety was selling at Tk 160 a kg.
-With New Age input
