With the arrival of winter vegetables, prices have begun to decrease slightly across markets, yet remain relatively high.
Visiting Mohammadpur’s Town Hall Market, Karwan Bazar, and Hatirpool on Friday (1 November), it has been seen that the cost per kilogramme for many vegetables has dropped below Tk100, although still holding at elevated levels.
Despite onion imports from India and other countries, prices have surged by Tk20 per kilogramme over the week, with domestic onions now costing Tk160 per kg.
Similarly, the price of potatoes has risen by Tk5, now selling at Tk65 per kg.
Eggs, however, have seen a slight decrease, currently priced between Tk145-150 per dozen, while rice, fish, and meat continue to sell at previous high prices.
The prices of certain vegetables varied by Tk10-15 depending on the market.
Retailers at Town Hall Market attribute the high cost of local onions to the end of their harvesting season and reduced supply.
Imported onions sell for Tk120 per kg.
Potatoes increased by Tk5 over the week, reaching Tk60-65 per kg, while garlic maintains its rate at Tk220-240 per kg and ginger at Tk280-320 per kg.
Vegetable sellers report a decrease in eggplant prices, now at Tk80-120 per kg compared to last week’s Tk120-160 per kg.
Ridge gourd prices dropped to Tk80-90 per kg, colocasia stem to Tk70, pointed gourd to Tk50-70, snake gourd to Tk60-70, okra to Tk60-80, papaya to Tk40-50, cucumber to Tk50-70, yardlong beans and taro stems to Tk80-100.
Carrots remain at Tk140, hyacinth beans at Tk160-180, tomatoes at Tk160-180, and green chilies at Tk200-240 per kg.
Cabbage is priced between Tk40-60 per piece, while bottle gourd and pumpkin each sell for Tk40-60. Spinach has also decreased, with Malabar spinach bunches at Tk40, and red spinach, palak, water spinach, and jute leaves priced between Tk20-25 per bunch.
Traders at Karwan Bazar states that grocery prices remain unchanged: chickpeas at Tk140-160, mung beans at Tk180, lentils at Tk110-135 per kg, and 2 kg wheat flour packs at Tk100-130, with loose wheat flour at Tk40 per kg.
Soybean oil costs Tk165-167 per litre, Tk800-810 for a 5-litre container, while sugar prices stand at Tk130-135 per kg.
Despite the government’s recent cap of Tk180 on broilers and Tk270 on Sonali chicken per kg, market prices remain elevated.
Broiler chicken costs Tk190-200, while Sonali chicken is priced at Tk300-320 per kg.
Traders claim higher purchase prices drive these rates.
Beef remains at Tk750-780 per kg, while mutton sells at Tk1,050-1,100 per kg.
Due to various government initiatives, egg prices have declined to Tk145-150 per dozen in some markets, though still above the government’s fixed rate of Tk142 per dozen.
The ban on Hilsa fishing has led to price hikes for other fish varieties.
Retailers report that Karwan Bazar’s wholesale prices are higher, preventing retail price reductions.
Rui and Katla fish are priced between Tk350-600 per kg, shrimp at Tk600-1,200, Kajoli at Tk1,000-1,200, Mola at Tk500, Tengra at Tk500-800, and Tilapia and Pangas fish at Tk200-250 per kg.
although the interim government has lowered import tariffs, rice prices have not decreased. Instead, retailers report a rise of Tk2-4 per kg over the week, attributing it to seasonal supply changes.
Miniket rice is selling for Tk72-76 per kg, Atash for Tk60-62, and coarse rice for Tk52-55. Aromatic Chinigura rice is Tk130-140 per kg loose and Tk170-180 for pre-packaged.
