Commoners battered as rice, lentil, onion get pricier again

Prices of rice, lentils, onions, garlic and ginger increased once again last week, battering the commoners further.
Rice witnessed Tk2.0-3.0 hike in price per kg in the wholesale and retail levels as coarse varieties of rice sold at Tk52-55 each kg, medium varieties at Tk60-65 a kg and finer varieties at Tk72-85 a kg on Thursday, according to market sources.
Farid Hossain, a salesman of a grocery at West Dhanmondi, said prices of all kinds of rice increased by Tk 2.0-2.5 a kg at Mohammadpur Krishi Market in the last seven days.
He also said BRRI dhan 28 variety was being traded at Tk2,850 a 50-kg sack rising from Tk2,650-2,660 seven days back.
Lutfar Rahman, a rice trader at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said heavy rainfall has mainly contributed to the latest hike in the rice price despite a robust local production.
He also said the key problem was that semi-auto or husking mills couldn't make boiled paddy dry in absence of sun.
He added demand has increased in the automated mills, resulting in price surge by Tk2.0 a kg.
The agriculture ministry's primary projection shows the country has produced more than 22.4 million tonnes of rice in the just ended Boro season as against 20.6 million tonnes last year.
Meanwhile, onion price hit Tk110-120 a kg marking Tk15- a kg surge in a week, according to grocery sources.
Habibur Rahman, a spice trader at Shyambazar in the city, said traders in Rajbari, Faridpur and Pabna have made the sale tight amid gradual fall in supply of local spice as import was totally stopped for last six months.
He said the hike in local price is encouraging importers to bring costly onion from India this July.
He further said 1,000-1,200 tonnes of onion are entering the country every day.
The import cost is now Tk 105 a kg on an average as the minimum export cost in India is US $770 a tonne.
Mr Rahman also said higher import cost as well as lower local production cost fueled up ginger and garlic prices.
He said Chinese ginger is being wholesaled at Tk220-230 a kg at Shyambazar which is being retailed at Tk300-350 a kg.
However, egg prices showed a slight decline by Tk 5.0-10 a dozen as it sold at Tk 150-155 on the day.
Meanwhile, price of coarse lentil showed further hike by Tk 5.0-10 a kg as it was sold at Tk110-120 a kg on Thursday, medium variety lentil was retailed at Tk 120-125 a kg and finer variety at Tk150-160 a kg.

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