Rice price bumps up on blockade

FE Report
Prices of rice, vegetables, ginger and garlic further increased Friday compared to the week before as traders blamed the ongoing blockade for supply crunch and higher transportation cost.
However, price of onion, chilli and tomato declined on the day compared to that of its previous, thanks to the entry of big chunk from mid-regions, traders said.
Prices of most of the varieties of rice witnessed a further hike in the wholesale markets in Dhaka on Friday.
Coarse variety Swarna was traded at Tk33-34 per kg, Brridhan-28 at Tk40-41 per kg, Miniket Tk46-48 per kg, Najirshail  at Tk42-44 per kg (new) and Tk52-55 per kg (old), Brridhan-29 or haski at Tk41-42 per kg at wholesale markets in Badamtoli, Babubazar, Kochukhet, Jatrabari, Mohammadpur and Malibagh on Friday---Tk1-3 increase in seven days.
Md Akram Uddin Sheikh, manager of N H Trading at Babubazar in the city, said that only 8-10 rice trucks are entering Babubazar and Badamtoli wholesales every day against 70 trucks in normal days.
He said transportation cost for per kg rice is now Tk 2.0-Tk 2.20, which was Tk 0.70-Tk 0.90 per kg in pre-blockade period.
"I've managed to bring only two trucks of rice (per truck 15 tonnes) during the blockades. Truck fare from Naogaon, Jaypurhat is now Tk30000 to Tk33000 which was Tk13000-13500 before blockade," he added.
Vegetable prices witnessed a further rise on the day by Tk 2-10 per kg or per piece or per bunch or per slice.
Bottle gourd (medium sized) sold at Tk 45-50 per piece, pumpkin at Tk20-25 per slice, bitter gourd at Tk70-80 per kg, brinjal at Tk45-50 per kg, cauliflower at Tk20-25 per piece (medium sized), cabbage at Tk25-30 per piece,  green banana (kachkola) at Tk5-6 per piece while spinach, red or green amaranth, radish plant, bottle gourd leaf, and other vegetable leafs at Tk 6-25 per bunch on the day.
Onion, chilli and tomato prices went down slightly in the last seven days.
Chilli was selling at Tk30-40 of different varieties, tomato at Tk30-40 per kg on the day-Tk5-10 decline a seven days.
Onion of local variety was sold at Tk30-32 per kg, imported Indian variety at Tk28-30 per kg on the day-a Tk 2-3 reduction in a week.
Traders said a big chunk of onion, tomato and chilli came from Faridpur, Dhaka and Mymensingh regions in the last few days, which helped reduce the price.
Shamsul Alam, a trader at Rayer Bazar in the city said transportation from the mid-regions to Dhaka is almost normal.
He also said that a good chunk of chilli and tomato have entered the city from Mymensingh, Kisoreganj, Manikganj, Tangail, Narshindi, Comilla districts in last two days which helped calm prices.  
However, prices of garlic and ginger witnessed a Tk 5-10 hike in a week.
Newly harvested ginger was sold at Tk90-100 per kg on the day-Tk10 increase in the last seven days.  
Prices of most other commodities were static maintaining the higher price range, according to the traders.
    tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com