Despite the little presence of customers, the price of onion shot up in the capital’s kitchen markets after Eid-ul-Fitr due to supply shortage and increasing price in India.
The prices of other essential commodities including vegetables, broiler, sugar and egg also increased in the city’s retail markets. Traders said that a severe supply shortage is prevailing in the capital’s kitchen markets due to halting transportation on highways before and after eid. And this is the main reason of price hike.
‘Now onion is more precious than gold as we are dependent on import and the exporting country India itself is facing a serious shortage,’ Abul Kalam Azad, an onion importer at Shyambazar told New Age on Monday.
He said that the price of onion increased in the local markets in India and the import price increased to Rs 30 a kg.
The high price of onion might linger for more than one month as the production of the item has been hampered in different provinces in India, Azad said.
Both the prices of local and imported onion increased by Tk 15 a kg and were retailing at Tk 65 a kg and 60 a kg respectively on Monday.
Before Eid, local onion was selling at Tk 50 a kg while the imported onion was retailing at 45 a kg.
The price of broiler increased by Tk 10 a kg and was selling at Tk 165-Tk 170 a kg on Monday.
On the day before Eid, the price of sugar had increased by Tk 2 a kg and the price of the item witnessed further rise after Eid by Tk 2 a kg.
Sugar was retailing at Tk 50-Tk 52 a kg in the city’s retail markets.
The price of egg increased by Tk 4 a hali (four pieces) and was selling at Tk 38 a hali on Monday.
The prices of most of the vegetables increased in the city’s kitchen markets.
Aubergin was selling at Tk 50 a kg from Tk 40 a kg, papaya at Tk 30 a kg from Tk 20 a kg, okra at Tk 45 a kg from Tk 40 a kg and bitter gourd at Tk 50 a kg from Tk 40 a kg.
The price of green chilli increased by Tk 20 a kg and was selling at Tk 100 a kg on Monday.
Md Emran Master, president of Bangladesh Kanchamal Arrot Baboshayi Malik Samiti, said that the prices of vegetables increased a bit due to supply shortage as transportation was halted for six days before and after Eid.
Within a few days both the supply and prices will ease for the consumers, he said.
-With New Age input
