The price of hilsa witnessed further rise on the retail markets in the capital over the week ending Friday on the eve of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla new year.
Traders said the demand for hilsa was increasing with the Pahela Baishakh approaching and people were taking preparations to celebrate the occasion which falls on April 14.This year the supply of hilsa is comparatively lower than that of the last year and the price of the fish is also higher, said Narayan Chandra Barman, a hilsa trader at the Shantinagar kitchen market.
The price of hilsa increased by Tk 300-Tk 500 a kilogram in the last three days.
The price of a hilsa weighing around 900 grams to1 kg increased by Tk 500 a kg and was selling at Tk 1,700-Tk 1,800 a kg on Friday at the Hatirpool kitchen market in the city.
A piece of hilsa weighing 1.2 kg to 1.5 kg was selling at Tk 2,200-Tk 2,400 on the day while the same item was sold at Tk 2,000-Tk 2,100 a kg on April 1.
A hilsa weighing around 600 grams to 700 grams was selling at Tk 600 to Tk 650 a piece at the Shantinagar kitchen market on Friday whereas it was sold at Tk 300 to Tk 350 a piece on April 1.
Narayan said that hilsa now turned into a luxury food item.
Hilsa price has gone beyond the reach of common people and this year it may touch a new high, he said.
The prices of most of the vegetables remained unchanged on the kitchen markets in the city over the week but the price of beef increased a bit as the demand for the commodity increased, traders said.
The price of beef increased by Tk 10 a kg over the week and it was selling at Tk 290-Tk 300 on Friday.
Green chilli price remained unchanged and it was selling at Tk 80 a kg on the day.
Aubergine was retailing at Tk 40 a kg, cucumber at Tk 20 a kg, bitter gourd at Tk 40 a kg, okra at Tk 40 a kg, tomato at Tk 20 a kg, bean at Tk 30 a kg, cabbage at Tk 25 a kg, carrot at Tk 20 a kg and at Tk 25 a kg on the day.
The price of imported garlic decreased by Tk 30 a kg and was selling at Tk 100 a kg while the local garlic was retailing at Tk 50 a kg on the day.
The price of onion remained unchanged and the commodity was selling at Tk 30 a kg while the imported onion was selling at Tk 28 a kg over the week.
The price of fine variety of red lentil called ‘kangaroo’ remained unchanged and was selling at Tk 130 a kg on Friday while the local variety of red lentil was selling at Tk 110 a kg.
Potato price increased by Tk 3 a kg and it was selling at Tk 15-Tk 18 a kg on the day.
The price of egg remained steady over the week and was retailing at Tk 32-Tk 33 a hali (four pieces) in the city’s retail markets.
The prices of fish, except hilsa, remained unchanged over the week.
Rohita was retailing at Tk 240-Tk 300 a kg, katla at Tk 220-Tk 300 a kg, pangas at Tk 140-Tk 250 a kg and tilapia at Tk 140-Tk 160 a kg depending on their size and quality.
Broiler price remained steady and was selling at Tk 150-Tk 160 a kg on the day.
The prices of mutton remained unchanged and were selling at Tk 425-Tk 450 a kg on Friday.
Both unpacked soya bean and super palm oil prices remained unchanged and were retailing at Tk 120 a kg and Tk 82 a kg respectively on the day.
Bottled soya bean oil (five litres), like previous week, was selling at Tk 655 to Tk 665 at the Karwan Bazar kitchen market.
The price of sugar remained steady and the commodity was selling at Tk 46-Tk 48 a kg on the day.
-With New Age input
