Sugar prices increased by Tk 2-3 per kg Friday, just one day after the placement of the national budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15 in Parliament Thursday.
Onion prices, however, decreased to some extent while prices of a few vegetables went up slightly on the day compared to the previous levels.
Sugar prices increased following the budget proposals, traders said Friday.
Sugar (loose) was sold at Tk 46-48 per kg in different areas in the city Friday against Tk 44-45 a day before.
"Wholesale price has increased to Tk 45-45.5 per kg today (Friday) at Moulvibazar against Tk 42-42.5 per kg two days back," Faisal Ahmed, a grocer at Nawabganj Bazar in the city, said.
He said: "Traders are telling that import cost has been increased in the proposed budget which is causing the hike."
When contacted, Secretary of Moulvibazar Wholesale Merchants Association Md Golam Moula told the FE that the price had not increased yet at the wholesale level.
"Importers haven't told us anything about the hike. The retailers are charging higher prices unreasonably," he said.
He said sugar (good quality) was sold at Tk 1,570-1,585 per maund (37.32 kg) -- a static price range for last one month.
However, the FY '15 budget has proposed to increase import duty on raw cane sugar and beet sugar to Tk 2,000 per tonne from the existing Tk 1,500 per tonne.
The price of packet sugar, however, hasn't increased. Sugar of ACI and Fresh brands was sold at Tk 48-50.
Onion prices decreased by Tk 3-5 per kg in last seven days.
The imported variety of onion was sold at Tk 25-26 per kg and the local variety at Tk 30-32 per kg in main kitchen markets Friday.
Prices of a few vegetables including teasel gourd, brinjal, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, tomato and cucumber increased by Tk 4-5 per kg in a week.
Brinjal was sold at Tk 40-45 per kg and teasel gourd Tk 50-55 per kg Friday.
However, the products including powdered milk, detergents etc got an import duty cut in the proposed budget but its impact was yet to be reflected in the market, the traders said.
Prices of major commodities including rice, meat, fish, milk, salt, flour, spices, tea etc were static Friday compared to those of previous days.
