Prices of veggies, eggs, chicken up in kitchen market

The prices per kilogram of rice came down by Tk 5 in the market on Friday in the backdrop of beginning of the open market sale (OMS) and Food Friendly Programme across the country.

The government will have to eliminate syndication in the rice market by increasing the import volume of rice if it wants to keep the price stable in the country, according to traders.

Alongside, the government should let its law enforcement agencies loose to strengthen market monitoring to make the efforts successful, many rice traders at Kawran Bazar told the correspondent.

The government has begun selling food grains among people through OMS and family cards that brings a little respite for the consumers, Ansar Ali, a rice trader at Kawran Bazar said.

Alongside the fuel oil price, syndication of traders and millers is also responsible for increasing the rice prices in the country, according to the trader.

While talking to the correspondent, some consumers, who were visiting the wholesale rice market, also expressed their similar comments venting their anger at the government’s failure in eliminating the syndicate everywhere.

According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), per kilogram of coarse rice was sold at Tk 52 which is now being sold at Tk 47.

The price per kilogram of medium quality rice was Tk 54 but it is now Tk 50 and per kilogram of fine rice is now being sold at Tk 70 against its previous price Tk 75.

However, it was practically seen that the prices of rice came down in the market but totally not in accordance with the TCB price chart.

Meanwhile, Food Minister Shadhan Chandra Majumder has recently claimed that the prices of per kilogram rice have reduced at Tk 5 on an average.

The food minister also said that two lakh tonnes of rice will be imported from Myanmar and 3.5 lakh tonnes more rice will come from Vietnam and India immediately which will help decline the rice price.

It was seen that per kilogram of coarse rice is being sold at Tk 52 to Tk 53, medium quality rice at Tk 56 to at Tk 58 and per kilogram of better quality rice is being sold at Tk 80 to at Tk 90.

There is no scarcity of rice in the country but the price is still abnormal, said some consumers, equivocally stressing the need for increasing the government’s strong monitoring. Only regular monitoring can ensure respite a little bit, they said.

Visiting the kitchen market, the correspondent found different kinds of vegetables, eggs and chicken are being sold at an increasing rate compared to the previous week.

The per kilogram of lima bean, tomato and carrot are being sold at Tk 120 to Tk 140 which was Tk 100 to Tk 120 last week.

Price of cucumber remained unchanged at Tk 80 while brinjal at Tk 70 while the previous price was Tk 60 while per kilogram of bitter gourd is being sold at 90 to Tk 90 which was Tk 80.

Besides, the prices of other vegetable items including pumpkin, bottle gourd, sweet pumpkin, ridged gourd, pointed gourd, lady’s finger and potato were almost unchanged.

The price of green chili has decreased and it is being sold at Tk 40 which was Tk 120 per kilogram, price per kilogram of onion is now being sold at Tk 40 to at Tk 45 which was Tk 50 in the last week.

The price of broiler chicken is seen at an increasing trend again as it is now being sold at 180 per kilogram which was Tk 170 a day ago.

The price of Sonali chicken (red chicken) is now being sold at Tk 280 to 300 per kilogram, while per kilogram of cock is being sold at Tk 300 to Tk 320.