Packaged soya bean oil still scarce
The prices of essential food items, including rice, vegetables and chicken, maintained an upward trend on the kitchen markets in the capital Dhaka on Friday, ahead of Ramadan, leaving consumers helpless.
Markets were bustling with shoppers ahead of the fasting month of the Muslims, with some purchasing supplies for the entire month, while others stocked up on daily necessities such as edible oil, chickpeas and onions for one or two weeks.
Many buyers opted to purchase Ramadan essentials in advance, fearing potential price hikes during the holy month.
Different varieties of rice were available at prices ranging from Tk聽55 to Tk聽100 a kilogram.
The fine Miniket rice maintained its steady high price, selling at Tk聽75-82 a kilogram throughout February.
Coarse and medium-quality rice varieties were priced at Tk聽55-65 a kilogram on Friday.
Packaged soya bean oil has remained scarce on the market over the past few months. A visit to several kitchen markets revealed that retailers were mostly selling one-litre bottles of soya bean oil, while most shops did not even have that, with only a one having five-litre bottles of the item.
The government-set price for soya bean oil is Tk聽175 a litre.
Retailers stated that the ongoing shortage of the packaged essential item pushed the price of unpackaged soya bean oil to Tk 180-210 a litre in recent months.
A consumer at Hatirpul kitchen market expressed frustration over being unable to buy enough soya bean oil for Ramadan due to the shortage.
On Friday, packaged soya bean oil was priced at Tk 175-180 per litre.
Chicken prices also remained high before Ramadan.
Broiler chicken was sold at Tk 210-220 a kilogram, compared with the price of Tk 190-210 a kilogram on January 31. The Sonalika variety was priced at Tk 320-330 a kilogram.
Lemons, a Ramadan essential, saw a significant increase in price, with the items being sold at Tk 80-100 a hali (four pieces) across city markets.
Retailers reported that the price of lemons had tripled since January 31.
Various types of dates, another Ramadan essential, were priced between Tk 440 and Tk 1,600 a kilogram on city kitchen markets.
Chickpeas, a Ramadan staple, were sold at Tk 105-110 a kilogram, down from Tk 130-140 a kilogram in January.
Most vegetable prices witnessed a rise since January 31.
Prices of aubergine increased by Tk 20-40 a kilogram, selling at Tk 70-80 a kilogram. Bitter gourd was priced at Tk 80-100 a kilogram, beans at Tk 40-50 a kilogram and tomatoes at Tk 40-50 a kilogram. Cabbage and cauliflower were sold at Tk 30-40 apiece, while radish was sold at Tk 30 a kilogram.
The prices of green chillies and potatoes remained stable throughout the week.
Green chillies were priced at Tk 80-90 a kilogram, while that of potatoes sold at Tk 25-40 a kilogram on city markets.
However, onion prices saw a slight decline, with the local variety selling at Tk 48-55 a kilogram.
Prices of eggs also decreased slightly, selling at Tk 42-46 a hali (four pieces) on city markets, down by Tk 2-6 a hali from its price on January 31.
Red lentil prices surged before Ramadan, as its coarse variety was priced at Tk 120-125 a kilogram, while the medium-quality variety sold for Tk 130 a kilogram. The fine variety maintained its higher price, selling at Tk 135-140 a kilogram on Friday.
