FE Report
Prices of lentil climbed by 16-18 per cent in the last one week in the city's kitchen markets, with traders attributing the hike to higher import costs.
They said prices of a few varieties of indigenous fish increased significantly during the period while those of some vegetable items showed decline.
Lentil, most consumed pulse item in the country, prices increased by Tk16-20 per kg at different markets.
The imported Nepalese variety was selling at Tk120-122 per kg while local red variety was traded at Tk104-108 per kg and local broken at Tk90-94 per kg on Friday.
Parikkhit Saha, a grocer at Sheikh Shaheb Bazar under Lalbagh area, told the FE that prices have increased significantly at Moulovibazar wholesale in the last 10 days.
He said he has bought per maund (37.32 kg) of Nepalese variety at Tk4320 on Thursday, which was Tk3800-3820 a week back.
Haji Shafi Mahmud, a pulse importer and former president of Bangladesh Dal Babosayee Samity, an organisation of pulse traders in the country, told the FE that import cost of Nepalese variety has increased recently.
He said per tonne import cost surged to US$1320-1330 now, which was $1150-1160 two months back.
He said the season of lentil harvest is same in Nepal as in Bangladesh-in the month of Magh (the tenth month of Bangla calendar, which falls in Mid January to Mid February).
He said prices might decrease from the beginning of harvest.
Bangladesh mostly depends on imported lentil because the local production can meet the country's requirement for two to three months, Mr Mahmud said.
The annual demand for lentil is 1.8 to 2.0 million tonnes while only 20 per cent demand is met by local production, according to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM).
Prices of indigenous fish shing, magur, golsha, shoul, batashi, kajoli, koi (indigenous), shrimp, and puti increased by Tk50-200 per kg in the last seven days.
Shing of medium size was sold at Tk600-650 per kg and big sized ones at Tk950-1000 per kg, shoul was sold at Tk300-350 per kg of medium size and Tk400-450 per kg of big size.
Indigenous variety of koi sold at Tk450-500 per kg of big sized and Tk350-400 per kg of medium sized.
Md Iqbal Hasan, a fish trader at Showarighat fish wholesale told the FE that supply has gone down due to lower catch in the rivers.
He said prices of most of the local varieties increased in Mawa Ghat for the last few days.
Prices of a few vegetables, which increased slightly in the middle of last week due to the ongoing blockade, began to decrease on Friday as many good laden trucks entered the city in the morning of the same day, vegetable traders said.
Prices of bitter gourd, green pea, onion, chilli decreased by Tk2-5 per kg.
Onion (local) was sold at Tk28-32 per kg and Tk35-40 (imported Indian) per kg on the day.
Most of other commodity prices showed static trend.
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