Spices dearer as Eid-ul-Azha, Durga Puja draw near

Prices of different varieties of spices have increased significantly in last seven days as demand has risen before Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja festivals, traders said.
The prices of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin seed, black cumin seed, nutmeg (jayphal), coriander seed, fenugreek (methi), asafoetida (hing), mustard seed, black pepper, garlic, have increased by 20-30 per cent in a week.
However, vegetables and chicken meat prices decreased slightly on Friday compared with a week ago.
In the city's kitchen markets, cumin seed was sold at Tk350-450 (different varieties) against Tk280-350 per kg a week back, cinnamon price increased to Tk300 and Tk 320 per kg against Tk 260-300, cloves sold at Tk 2100-2200 which was Tk 1850-1900 per kg a week back, cardamom sold at Tk1800-1850 per kg (finer quality) against Tk 1550-1600 a week ago,
Black cumin seed prices increased to Tk250-300 per kg from Tk180-200 per kg ten days back.
Zafran (saffron) prices increased to Tk220-250 per gram, which was Tk150-180 per gram seven days back.
Prices of methi, hing, mustard seed, teel seed (sesame), jayphal, jayatri (mace) and black pepper also increased by 25-30 per cent in last seven days.
Garlic price increased further and sold at Tk90-100 both imported and local ones---Tk15 increase in last seven days.
Md Rana, a retailer at Banalata Kancha Bazar under Newmarket area, told the FE that the prices of spices have surged in the wholesale market which forced them to increase price at the retail level.
He said the price of cumin seed (Iranian) was Tk410-420 per kg in Moulovibazar in the city on Friday which was Tk300-320 per kg ten days back.
Atiqul Haque, secretary of Bangladesh Paikari Gorom Masala Babosayi Samity, the biggest organisation of spice traders in the country, told the FE that the prices of spices are static for the last two months in Moulovibazar wholesale market.
"Even the prices didn't increase in Eid-ul-Fitr," he said.
He blamed retailers for charging higher prices for the products and urged the government for strictly monitoring the market.
Green chilli prices decreased while onion and ginger prices were static on the day.
Vegetables including snake gourd, teasle gourd, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, clocasia stem, eddo, local bean, tomato, radish, sponge gourd, bitter gourd and vegetable leafs prices reduced by Tk2-5 per kg or  per bunch on Friday compared to that its previous.
Bitter gourd was sold at Tk40-45 (korola) and Tk50-55 (ustha) per kg on the day.
Prices of chilli reduced by Tk15-20 per kg and sold at Tk80-100 per kg (different varieties) on the day.
Chicken (broiler) price sold at Tk135-140 per kg on Friday--- Tk5 reduction at per kg in a week.  
However, prices of most of other commodities were static.  
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