The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The prices of rice, soybean oil, lentils and other essential items remained high in the city's kitchen market yesterday.

The prices of different varieties of vegetables have also increased by Tk 5 to Tk 6 per kg yesterday.

The high prices of essential items have hit hard monthly budget of the middle, lower and fixed income groups as bulk of their income is spent for the purchase of rice, oil and pulses.

They said that they have already been overstressed by the price hike of essentials and urged the government to stem the escalation of food price.

If the prices of essentials continued to go, then I might not be able to manage three meals for my five-member family, said Abul Hashem, a rickshaw puller.

Abdul Khaleque, a private bank official, said he is unable to meet the expenditure of his three-member family due to high prices of essentials.

Economists said the skyrocketing prices of necessary items are eroding the purchasing power of the consumers. Poverty has reached 45.86 per cent due to food price inflation, according to them.

The common feature of the market is that if price of any essential item comes down in one week, the prices of other items marked sharp rice in a next week, they opined.

The government should monitor the volatile market situation so that no businessman could intentionally raise the prices of essential items, they suggested.

They said smooth supply of essentials item as well as maintaining rational price gap between retail and wholesale markets could ensure the prices of essential to a tolerable level.Retailers in the city markets said rainfalls were hampering production and supply.

As a result, the prices of vegetables are increasing in the markets. "We are bound to sell it at high rate as we have to purchase those at high prices form the wholesalers," said a vegetable seller at Shantinagar Bazar.

The coarse variety of rice 'lata' was sold at Tk 34 to Tk 35, 'minicate' between Tk 42 and Tk 44, 'nazirshail' (depending on variety) from Tk 40 to Tk 44, BR-28 at Tk 37 to Tk 38 and BR-29 at Tk 36 to Tk 37 per kg yesterday in the retail markets. Per packet of 2 kg ata (flour) was sold at Tk 78 yesterday.

Per kg of soyabean oil was sold at Tk 122 to Tk 124 and palm oil was sold from Tk 110 to Tk 112 yesterday. Different brands of five litre-canned soyabean oil were selling Tk 610.

Per kg of local variety of lentil (masur) was selling from Tk 108 to Tk 110 and imported one was at 98 to 102. Potato was sold at Tk 16 to Tk 17, papaya was between 16 and Tk 18 korola at Tk 28 to Tk 30 and barbati Tk 20 to Tk 24 per kg in the retail markets. The price of chicken was sold at Tk 100 to Tk 110 per kg.

Sugar was at Tk 35 and Tk 36 per kg. Per hali (4-pieces) of eggs was between Tk 24 and Tk 28.

The price of different types of fish still remain high as Ruhi was selling from Tk 150 to Tk 180, medium size Hilsha from Tk 280 and Tk 350. Prices of beef were at Tk 190 and Tk 200 and while mutton from Tk 260 to Tk 280 per kg.