The prices of essential commodities, including potatoes and onions, have increased significantly over the past week. Good quality onions now cost Tk 80-85 per kg, while potatoes are selling at Tk 60 per kg in the capital’s retail markets. Additionally, the prices of various vegetables have risen by Tk 5-10 per kg compared to last week.
Sellers indicate that there is no likelihood of price reductions for vegetables and other products in the coming days. Specifically, the prices of potatoes, onions, and vegetables are expected to remain high until the end of the monsoon season.
On Thursday, local onions were sold at Tk 75-85 per kg in the capital’s kitchen markets, up from Tk 70-75 a week ago and Tk 60-70 per kg a month ago.
According to data from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), onions were sold at Tk 70-75 per kg in the retail market on the same day last year, marking a 7 per cent increase this year.
Potatoes were sold at Tk 50-60 per kg on Thursday, compared to Tk 48-55 per kg a week ago. TCB data shows that potato prices have increased by 41 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The price of rice has remained steady despite being in the full season of Boro paddy. In the capital’s kitchen markets, fine rice is being sold at Tk 65-76 per kg, medium quality rice at Tk 60-65 per kg, and coarse rice at Tk 50-60 per kg. Sellers noted that rice prices have not decreased from a month ago.
Over the last week, the price of loose flour has increased by Tk 1-2 per kg, now selling at Tk 40-46 per kg, up from Tk 38-45 per kg a week ago. Other essential commodities such as sugar and edible oil have maintained their previously increased prices.
The prices of several vegetables, including tomatoes, eggplants, and bitter gourds, have also risen over the past week. Tomatoes are now retailing at Tk 60-80 per kg, up from Tk 50-70 a week ago. Eggplants are selling at Tk 80 per kg, up from Tk 75, and bitter gourds at Tk 70 per kg, up from Tk 50.
The Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) collects price data for 16 vegetables, including green chillies and potatoes. According to DAM, the prices of seven types of vegetables have increased by up to 30 per cent over the past month, with the price of green chillies rising by 133 per cent. Prices of two types of vegetables have remained unchanged.
Md Anwarul Islam, a vegetable seller at the Malibagh kitchen market in the capital, explained that during the monsoon season, many vegetable fields become submerged, and continuous rains disrupt the supply of products. Additionally, the amount of stored vegetables decreases, leading to weekly price increases for almost all types of vegetables.
Prices reduced
Even though prices of some essential commodities have increased in the kitchen market, prices of some others, including eggs, broiler chickens, and lentils, have decreased over the past week.
According to DAM data, eggs are now being sold at Tk 11.70-12.10 each, down from Tk 12-12.50 last week. The price of broiler chickens has dropped by Tk 5-10 per kg, now selling at Tk 200-215 per kg.
Fine varieties of lentils are selling at Tk 128-140 per kg, down from Tk 133-140 a week ago.
