Essential commodities mostly in demand in Ramadan has been started pouring in major commodity markets in the port city resulting significant price fall of most of the items.
Aiming at keeping the prices of essentials stable particularly during the month of Ramadan, the Interim Government’s farsighted and pragmatic policy including significant tax withdrawal and other policy supports has encouraged the businessmen and importers to import in a bigger volume, which outplayed the members of unscrupulous trade racket, said traders and importers here talking to BSS.
Country’s biggest commodity hub Khatunganj-Chaktai , wholesale fruits selling points –Reazuddin Bazar and ‘Falmondi’ at Station Road have seen bustling with essential Ramadan goods like edible oil, chickpeas, sugar, onions, potatoes, and dates.
The major commodity market has started experiencing an overall positive and visible impact that resulted in a downtrend in prices and indicates price stability when some specific commodity demand will escalates gradually on the eve and during the month of Ramadan.
Wholesale and retailers as well as trade body leaders in Khatunganj and Chaktai said that current market trend has already brought some sorts of relief among the consumers as well as genuine businessmen as it narrowed down reckless playing by unethical trade syndicates.
Sources said usually such market pictures have not been seen in the last few years. In previous years, it was seen that the prices of consumer goods started increasing a few days before Shab-e-Barat and later the market was booming as Ramadan approaches.
This time, there is an exception. Traders in Khatunganj are struggling to storing huge goods in their warehouses and sell them in retail markets as quick as possible. As a result, the market prices are lower than last year.
Besides, the interim government had relaxed the LC opening margin on the import of 11 types of daily essential items to ensure smooth supply of consumer goods ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
The items are- rice, wheat, onion, pulses, edible oil, sugar, eggs, chickpeas, peas, spices and dates. However, importers who have good track record are getting more benefits from the banks in opening LCs following a Bangladesh Bank Circular issued on November 17 last year. Since then, the import of these products has been increasing.
Dr. Md. Shah Alam, Deputy Director of the Plant Quarantine Center (Sanga Nirod Kendra) of Chattogram Port said the maximum numbers of consumer goods were imported in January centering vibrant market of Ramadan.
More products will be imported by the end of February. In the last four and a half months, 1.95 million tons of consumer goods of 17 categories have arrived at Ctg port.
In the last four and half months about two million tons of onions, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, cumin, nutmeg, pepper, ginger, turmeric, mustard, kichmich (Raisin), chickpeas, peas and lentils, and edible oil have been imported through Chattogram Port.
But, in the corresponding period in 2024, a total of 1.73 million tons were imported that indicated that 12 percent more goods were imported this year compared to same period of last year. In January 2025 alone, 97,181 tons of chickpeas were unloaded through Chattogram Port.
However, there is a demand for chickpeas in the country during the Ramadan. Some more chickpeas are waiting to be off-loaded. A total of 66,040 tons of chickpeas were unloaded in January 2024. Good quality chickpeas are being sold at TK 92.5 per kg in the wholesale market of Khatunganj.
Medium quality chickpeas are being sold at TK 90 per kg. Last year, the same chickpeas were sold at TK 95 to TK 100 per kg before Ramadan.
Mohammad Idris, General Secretary of Khatunganj's Hamidullah Miah Market Welfare Association, said the prices of onions, ginger and garlic have been decreasing for the past 15 days.
The market now has the highest supply of local and Indian onions. The stock of ginger and garlic from China is also adequate. Locally produced onions are being sold at TK 32-38 per kg, and Indian onions are at TK 50-55.
Ginger is being sold at TK 65-70. Fifteen days ago, ginger was selling at TK 75-80 per kg. Now it has decreased by TK 10 per kg. Garlic is being sold at TK 195-200 per kg. Its price has also decreased by TK 15.
Idris said that onion prices also started falling as supply flow of locally produced onions has been increased. Along with onions, the prices of spices like ginger and garlic are also decreasing. However, in other years, consumers particularly lower and lower middle income groups were struggling with soaring prices of Ramadan goods. The administration also had to conduct drives against market manipulation and keep the price stableand within the reach of the commoners.
This time, the picture is reverse. Most wholesale traders in Khatunganj are anxious due to poor flow of retailers pushing them to apprehend incurring losses instead of profit during Ramadan.
Stating that the price of dates is decreasing due to increased imports, Abul Hasem, owner of Bismillah Store in Falmondi, Chattogram, said that currently a five-kg packet of Medjool is at TK 4,100, Ajoa at TK 4,500, Safabiat TK 3,200 and Maryam at TK 7,700.
In last year, 5 kg cartons of dates that were sold at TK 4,000 whereas same quantity dates are being sold for TK 3,300 to TK 3,400 this time, Idris said.
After reducing the duty on dates, prices have also decreased. As Ramadan approaches, sales are also increasing. He said that the demand for dates in Bangladesh is about 90,000 tons per year. Of this, the demand during Ramadan is around 50,000 tons. In January this year alone, 21,261 tons were imported. The government reduced the customs duty to control the price of dates, resulting to a record amount of imports.
This time, traders have imported much more consumer goods against the demand, said Chaktai Khatunganj Aratdar General Traders Welfare Association General Secretary Md. Mohiuddin, saying that it’s impact has started to be visible in the market.
The demand for sugar during Ramadan is about three lakh tons. Of this, 2.53 lakhs tons of sugar were imported through Chattogram port in December and January, which is 85 percent of the demand.
In the first phase, on October 17 last year and in the second phase on November 19, the customs duty on edible oil imports was reduced to only 5 percent.
According to Chattogram Customs, the demand for edible oil during Ramadan is about three lakh tons. In contrast, three lakh 89,000 tons of soybean and palm oil were imported in January alone. Some more edible oil is waiting to be released. Accordingly, there should be no shortage of edible oil in the country.
Talking to businessmen in Khatunganj, it was said that the prices of all types of consumer goods, except edible oil, are lower this year compared to last year.
Some traders in Khatunganj said that although there is no reason for an edible oil crisis in the market due to sufficient imports against demand, an unscrupulous group is still trying to destabilize and volatile the edible oil market by creating an artificial crisis.
These traders were of the opinion that this ill-attempt can be prevented in advance if there is close supervision of the stock and supply level of imported oil and immediate legal action is taken against unscrupulous importers and hoarders.
Muhammad Rafiqul Alam, owner of M/s MK Trading in Khatunganj, said, 'S Alam's brand ready sugar was sold at Tk 4,230 per maund in the Khatunganj market on Tuesday while City and Meghna Group's sugar was sold at Tk 4,175 per mound . Last year, the price of sugar per maund at the same time was around Tk 5,000.
