Prices of onion, edible oil, vegetable jump further ahead of Ramadan

Onion, edible oil and vegetable became pricier further last week raising woes of the consumers.
Prices of sugar also showed an uptrend despite having ample supply and persisting low import costs, said market observers.
Experts also expressed concerns over rising prices of essentials ahead of the holy month of Ramadan to be started from early next month.
They said lack of market monitoring over commodity prices is encouraging business syndicates to dominate the market.
Local onion was sold at Tk 35-Tk 40 and imported variety at Tk 28-Tk 32 a kg on Friday in the city markets-Tk 5.0-Tk 6.0 hike at per kg in a week.
Edible oil, which remained static for last two months, also witnessed a Tk 2.0-Tk 3.0 hike at per litre.
Most of the branded bottled-soybean was sold at Tk 104-Tk 110 a litre.
Soybean of Pusti, Teer and Bashundhara brands were sold at Tk 104 a litre when Rupchanda (a product of Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd) was sold at Tk 109-Tk 110 a litre at groceries.
Loose soybean and palm oil prices have also been increased by Tk 2.0-Tk 3.0 a litre in a week. Soybean oil was sold at Tk 86-Tk 88 and super palm at Tk 70-Tk 72 a litre on Friday.
Anisur Rahman (Pallab), a grocer at Zakir Hossain Road at Mohammadpur in the city said wholesalers have been raising prices of essentials as the Ramadan nears.
He said edible oil companies raised prices two weeks back and their bottles with new price tag were available from last week.
He said prices of onion, ginger, garlic, sugar, pulses and other items were showing an uptrend in Karwan Bazar and Moulovibazar wholesales in the city for two weeks.
Rahman said he bought sugar at Tk 57 a kg from Moulovibazar on Thursday evening when it was Tk 51-Tk 52 a kg a week back.
We have to sell the item at Tk 60-Tk 62 a kg now from Tk 55 a kg earlier, he added.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said price hike of onion and edible oil is illogical amid low import costs and a good local production.
He said soybean and palm oil are showing a record low price in the globe for one and half years.
He said soybean oil prices remained at US $700-$750 a tonne and palm oil $ 570-$600 a tonne for last six months.
He said onion import cost is $180-$ 220 a tonne now (Tk 15-Tk 19 a kg).
He also informed the FE that local producers were selling onion at Tk 8.0-Tk 12 a kg across the country from March.
All the wholesaler and groceries should be brought under government scrutiny to combat artificial price hike to give the consumers a relief, he said.
However, prices of some vegetables further increased by Tk 5.0-Tk 15 a kg in a week.
Snake gourd, sponge gourd and long bean were sold at Tk 70-Tk 80 a kg, ridge gourd at Tk 90-Tk 100, bitter gourd at Tk 85-Tk 95, pointed gourd, Brinjal at Tk 60-Tk 80, okra at Tk 60-Tk 65, papaya at Tk 60, radish at Tk 50 a kg on Friday.
Only tomato and hybrid cucumber were two veggies, seen selling below Tk 50 a kg on the day.
Meanwhile, prices of beef, mutton and riverine fish maintained their previous high. Beef was sold at Tk 550-Tk 570 a kg, mutton (khasi) Tk 780-Tk 800 a kg and most of indigenous fish were sold between Tk 550 -Tk 1550 a kg.

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