Essentials’ prices up despite govt efforts to control

Prices of essentials witnessed a sharp rise in both wholesale and retail markets in the capital yesterday, a day after the commerce minister had fixed the wholesale prices of some daily necessities.
Taking the opportunity of weak market monitoring, traders in kitchen markets are charging higher prices at will on the eve of Ramadan, alleged many shoppers.
After visits to different city markets, The Daily Star correspondents found varying prices of the same commodity in different shops and a huge difference between the prices charged at the city markets and those fixed by the government.
On Thursday the government fixed the wholesale prices of potato, onion, garlic and ginger to ensure stability of prices in the kitchen markets during Ramadan.
As per the government-fixed rates, the wholesale prices of potato to be sold at cold storage gates will range between Tk 22 and Tk 23 per kg, onion Tk 16 and 19 per kg, garlic and ginger Tk 55 and 60 per kg.
Interestingly, the prices of these items went up in the wholesale market yesterday. A kilogram of potato was selling for Tk 24-26, onion Tk 17-37, garlic and ginger Tk 60-100 per kg.
Despite holiday people thronged city kitchen markets throughout the day yesterday ahead of Ramadan, the month of fasting for the Muslims.
Karwan Bazar, the largest wholesale kitchen market in the capital, along with other kitchen markets was buzzing with shoppers. Heated exchanges between shoppers and traders over prices of essentials were seen in different places.
Especially the essentials that are consumed more during Ramadan are getting pricier, said both customers and sellers.
Price of green chilli climbed up to Tk 140-200 a kg yesterday although it was selling for Tk 100-150 just a day ago.
A trader in Karwan Bazar was selling green chilli for Tk 140 a kg yesterday while another trader in a nearby shop in the same market was selling the same quality chilli for Tk 170.
The chilli was selling for Tk 200 a kg in Ibrahimpur kitchen market, Tk 180 a kg in the Hatirpul kitchen market and Tk 160 a kg in Nimtoli Bazar.
Prices of aubergine of different varieties whose fried slices are a popular iftar item ranged between Tk 35 and 65 yesterday compared to Tk 30 and 50 per kg a day before. Price of potato went up to Tk 28-30 per kg, which was sold for Tk 26-28 a day ago.
Prices of both local and imported varieties of onion jumped in both the markets yesterday.
The imported variety was selling for Tk 22-25 a kg yesterday, the local variety for Tk 37-40 a kg while a day before local onion was sold at Tk 36-38 a kg and imported one at Tk 20-22 a kg.
Price of tomato leaped up to Tk 100-120 per kg yesterday from Tk 80-90. The price of cucumber rose to Tk 25-35 from Tk 20-25 a kg yesterday.
Prices of different qualities of puffed rice, which sold for Tk 36-55 a kg on Thursday, rose to Tk 40-60 a kg yesterday.
Sugar was selling at Tk 44-46 a kg, up by Tk 1. Price of dates, an essential iftar item, rose by Tk 5 per kg. Low quality dates were selling for Tk 60-70 per kg yesterday.
Prices of brand soya bean oil of most of the companies were up by Tk 2 per litre yesterday.
Prices of all sorts of vegetable increased by Tk 5-15 per kg while prices of most of the fish witnessed a sharp rise.
Customers and retailers were seen haggling over the prices of essentials that are higher than the fixed prices of essentials scribbled on the board of the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).
Many customers and even shopkeepers said there was no similarity between the prices in the markets and those hung in the DCC’s price list.
Sales of essentials by the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) are yet to create any impact on the prices of those items in the kitchen markets, said consumers.

Courtesy of The Daily Star