Prices of rice, egg, and onion went up in the last seven days, raising the sufferings of the low-income group consumers.
The supply of bottled edible oil is still abnormal in retail markets. Most people are forced to buy loose oil at higher prices, according to market sources.
Meanwhile, prices of Pakistani/Sonali chicken, which showed a hike for the last one month, declined, while broiler chicken prices remained static.
Traders said transport costs have been rising for about a month due to fuel issues. This week's fuel price hike has added more pressure, pushing up prices of some items.
"Although the government increased diesel-based transport fare by only 11 paisa per kilometre, truck operators have already raised their charges by Tk 3,000-5,000 further," said Junawed Ali, a Mohammadpur Agricultural Market-based trader.
According to grocers, prices of medium-quality rice (BRRI dhan-28 and Pajam) increased by Tk 2.0-5.0 a kg and was selling at Tk 62-65 a kg; coarse rice Swarna and hybrid at Tk 53-56 a kg, while fine rice like Jeerashail, Miniket, Najirshail, etc at Tk 75-95 a kg.
Abul Barkat, a rice trader at Karwan Bazar, said the recent 15-16 per cent hike in fuel prices caused further surge in transport costs. Still, there is no strong reason behind the latest price hike, as new Boro rice is already in the market and imports are also going on.
Egg prices, which remained static between Tk 110 and Tk 120 a dozen for the last few months, increased to Tk 135-145 a dozen amid a decline in production as well as a rise in transport fare, said Juel Rana, a grocer at West Dhanmondi.
Meanwhile, onion prices started increasing, and the item was sold at Tk 45-50 a kg on Friday, marking Tk 10-15 a kg hike in a week. Loose and packaged sugar prices also rose slightly by Tk 5.0 a kg, and were sold at Tk 105-115 a kg at retail.
Vegetable prices showed a mixed trend, as summer vegetables like bitter gourd, pointed gourd, okra, and yard-long beans were sold at prices between Tk 70 and Tk 90 a kg, marking a slight decline. While snake gourd, teasel gourd, and sponge gourd prices increased by Tk 10 a kg further. Prices of tomato, papaya, moringa and other veggies remained static last week.
Meanwhile, scarcity of bottled soybean oil also prevailed last week, as most groceries had no one- or two-litre bottles.
Many of the consumers were forced to buy loose soybean oil, which was sold at Tk 205-215 a litre, Tk 20-30 a litre higher than that of the official rate of Tk 185 a litre.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
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