Prices of flattened, puffed rice up in post-SIDR city markets
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Naim-Ul-Karim
Prices of two essential relief materials--flattened rice and puffed rice, locally known as Cheera and Muri, have gone up both at the wholesale and retail levels immediately after the hurricane SIDR hit the country, market operators said.
Sources blamed supply shortfall and price manipulation by a section of traders and millers for such a price hike.
According to the sources, flattened and puffed rice in Dhaka was hovering at at Tk 1300-Tk 1350 per 50 kg and Tk 1710-Tk 1750 per 46 kg respectively against the previous prices of Tk 1200-Tk 1250 and Tk 1610-Tk 1650 at the wholesale level pushing up the retail prices.
The retail prices of flattened and puffed rice hovered at Tk 28-Tk 29 and Tk 38-Tk 40 in the city markets from their previous prices of Tk 25-Tk 26 and Tk 34-Tk 35 due to the price hike at the wholesale level.
The price hike of these food items, used widely as relief materials in the country immediately after any natural calamity, affected relief work of many aid organisations and individuals.
Many worried residents of Dhaka, who were leaving the capital for their villages to know about the whereabouts of their relatives in the SIDR-hit areas, were found to throng the city's wholesale markets to buy the relief materials.
Apart from this, many non-governmental officials were also found to rush to the wholesale markets for buying these particular dry food items.
One Lokman Hossain of the city's Hatirpool area said, " I have been informed from my village home that there is an acute crisis of such food items."
Going to Karwan Bazar, he said, "I was astonished that prices of the same have gone up here too."
Some wholesalers in the city blamed the millers for the lower supply and price manipulation of the flattened and puffed rice.
Requesting to be unnamed, a wholesaler said prices of these two items widely used as relief materials have gone up shortly after the news spread that the cyclone SIDR hit at least 15 districts deadly.
When contacted, Nur Alam, a miller based in the city, said production cost has increased to a substantial amount for consumption of diesel due to frequent power supply disruptions.
He said the price hike of ingredients of flattened and puffed rice in the lean season of paddy has also pushed up prices of the same.
Regarding the shortfall in supply of the food items, the miller said old stocks are on wane after recent the past devastating flood and the holy Ramadan.
The SIDR hit the country at such a time when most of the millers were getting preparation to rebuild their stocks, he mentioned.
Prices of two essential relief materials--flattened rice and puffed rice, locally known as Cheera and Muri, have gone up both at the wholesale and retail levels immediately after the hurricane SIDR hit the country, market operators said.
Sources blamed supply shortfall and price manipulation by a section of traders and millers for such a price hike.
According to the sources, flattened and puffed rice in Dhaka was hovering at at Tk 1300-Tk 1350 per 50 kg and Tk 1710-Tk 1750 per 46 kg respectively against the previous prices of Tk 1200-Tk 1250 and Tk 1610-Tk 1650 at the wholesale level pushing up the retail prices.
The retail prices of flattened and puffed rice hovered at Tk 28-Tk 29 and Tk 38-Tk 40 in the city markets from their previous prices of Tk 25-Tk 26 and Tk 34-Tk 35 due to the price hike at the wholesale level.
The price hike of these food items, used widely as relief materials in the country immediately after any natural calamity, affected relief work of many aid organisations and individuals.
Many worried residents of Dhaka, who were leaving the capital for their villages to know about the whereabouts of their relatives in the SIDR-hit areas, were found to throng the city's wholesale markets to buy the relief materials.
Apart from this, many non-governmental officials were also found to rush to the wholesale markets for buying these particular dry food items.
One Lokman Hossain of the city's Hatirpool area said, " I have been informed from my village home that there is an acute crisis of such food items."
Going to Karwan Bazar, he said, "I was astonished that prices of the same have gone up here too."
Some wholesalers in the city blamed the millers for the lower supply and price manipulation of the flattened and puffed rice.
Requesting to be unnamed, a wholesaler said prices of these two items widely used as relief materials have gone up shortly after the news spread that the cyclone SIDR hit at least 15 districts deadly.
When contacted, Nur Alam, a miller based in the city, said production cost has increased to a substantial amount for consumption of diesel due to frequent power supply disruptions.
He said the price hike of ingredients of flattened and puffed rice in the lean season of paddy has also pushed up prices of the same.
Regarding the shortfall in supply of the food items, the miller said old stocks are on wane after recent the past devastating flood and the holy Ramadan.
The SIDR hit the country at such a time when most of the millers were getting preparation to rebuild their stocks, he mentioned.