Kitchen items like pulses, onion and garlic have become pricier further, thereby heightening consumer sufferings ahead of the upcoming holy Ramadan.
Indian pea (khesari), lentil, anchor pulses (Australian green pea) and chickpea witnessed Tk 10-15 a kg further hike in the last few days, according to market sources.
Khesari is largely used to make 'piaju', a common fry item, consumed by fasters. Khesari price has increased to Tk 130-150 a kg, a hike of Tk 15 in a week and Tk 30 in a month.
Chickpea was sold at Tk 110-130, coarse and medium lentil Tk 115-130 and finer lentil at Tk 150-165 a kg. Anchor prices shot up to Tk 90-100 a kg.
Coarse 'mung bean' was sold at Tk 140-150 a kg and finer quality at Tk 180-200.
Garlic prices, which showed a decline in the first week of February, witnessed a hike again as retail price surged to Tk 220-260 a kg, a Tk 20-30 hike.
Onion prices showed another hike of Tk 10 a kg as retailed at Tk 120-130.
Shafi Mahmud, president of the Bangladesh Pulses Wholesale Merchants Association, said finer lentil prices have increased to above $1050 a tonne, which was maximum $850 a tonne two months back.
He said the import of pulses declined 30-35 per cent ahead of this Ramadan amid difficulties in sourcing US dollar for settle letters of credit.
He said pricy dollar has also been escalating import costs further.
Narayan Chandra Saha, a Shyambazar-based wholesaler in the city, said the supply of local garlic is lesser in the market, thus causing a hike in the prices of imported varieties.
The wholesale price of best quality Chinese garlic is Tk 160 at Shyambazar on Tuesday, which was being sold at Tk 250 a kg by grocers, he added.
He said the wholesale price has not increased for the last five days, rather it declined by Tk 1.0-2.0 a kg, adding that retailers have raised prices.
The maximum price of seed onion or 'murikata' was Tk 92 a kg at Shyambazar on the day, commented Mr Saha.
He further said that onion prices might cool down within two weeks with the beginning of seasonal onion harvest and following possible import from India.
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