Chicken, spices become costlier; vegetable prices decline

Prices of chicken and spices increased in the city markets while that of vegetables, including lemon and cucumber declined slightly in the last week ending Friday.
Broiler chicken was selling between Tk 200 and Tk 220 per kg on the day, marking a Tk 10-20 increase over the last week.
However, the price of Sonali (Pakistani) chicken also increased by Tk 20-30 per kg this week with the item selling at Tk 300-330 per kg.
A vendor named Jahangir said chicken prices were fluctuating before the start of the holy Ramadan.
"Prices were similar at the beginning of Ramadan and the rates declined slightly. Now its wholesale prices have increased further," he said.
Another trader predicted a further rise in the chicken prices before Eid-ul-Fitr, as many people have already started buying fish and meat in preparation for the festival.
Random visits to Mohammadpur and Dhanmondi kitchen markets revealed that prices of fish, vegetables and beef remained mostly unchanged.
Depending on quality, beef was selling Tk 780-820 per kg.
Meanwhile, prices of some other items including onion also fell in the last few days.
Onion was being sold Tk 40-50, about Tk 10 per kg down from its previous week's price, trading sources said.
The prices of green chilli also declined by Tk 20 per kg as the item was selling at Tk 100-120 on Friday.
At the beginning of Ramadan, lemons were sold at Tk 80-120 per four pieces (hali).
The lemon prices showed a downward trend in the city markets for the last two weeks with the item selling at Tk 40-80 per hali, depending on the quality (varieties).
The prices of cucumbers, which were varying between Tk 80 and Tk100 per kg at the start of Ramadan, came down by Tk 10-20 per kg in a week.
A vegetable vendor at West Dhanmondi, Golam Ali, said most of the vegetable items were selling at almost previous weeks' rates, although the price of brinjal showed a downward trend.
Meanwhile, both buyers and sellers complained that the supply of bottled soybean oil saw a declining trend in the market for several days.
Although the prices of the edible oil are yet to increase, there remains a supply shortage of one and two-litre bottled oil.
Retailers claimed that dealers are supplying only about one-third of the usual demand.
Grocer Adil Hossain from Mohammadpur Town Hall market said there might be an attempt to raise oil prices through creating a supply scarcity.
"An artificial shortage of edible oil could be created before the Eid," he said, suggesting that the new government should enhance the monitoring on the market to prevent such a possible attempt.
On the other hand, prices of sugar and aromatic rice also increased slightly in the market. Prices of white sugar rose by Tk 10 per kg to Tk 105-110 per kg.
Different varieties of spices became costlier in the market. Prices of cumin seeds, clove, cinnamon and cardamom increased by Tk 100-200 per kg while that of raisins and different types of nuts went up by Tk 40-80 per kg.

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