The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The prices of onion, garlic and ginger ranged wide in the wholesale and retail markets in the city yesterday.

The range of difference in the prices of onion, garlic and ginger in the two markets are irrational, unacceptable and beyond comprehension, said customers in the city.

If the present price gap of the vital spices continued then the prices of those items might skip further during the month of Ramzan, they apprehended.

They said that the price gap should not be more than Tk 4 to Tk 5 per kg in the wholesale and retail markets.

The supplies of the three items are abundant in the markets and the price gap between the two markets remained noticeably high, said market experts.

Some unscrupulous businessmen might have been deliberately manipulating supply of those three vital spices for making windfall profits, they added.

They called upon the Government to form a committee comprising representatives of business community and law enforcing agencies to check the abnormal price gap between the two markets.

The local variety of onion was sold at Tk 25 and imported one was between Tk 19 and Tk 20 per kg yesterday in the wholesale markets yesterday.

Per kg of imported garlic was sold at Tk 20 to Tk 22 and the local variety at Tk 36 to Tk 40 and local variety of ginger was at Tk 72 and imported one at Tk 44 per kg in the wholesale markets.

In the retail markets per kg of local variety of onion was sold at Tk 30 to Tk 32 and imported category at Tk 24 to Tk 25. Local variety of garlic at Tk 55 to Tk 60 while imported one at Tk 32 to Tk 36 and local ginger at Tk 70 to Tk 75 while imported one at Tk 60 per kg.

Wholesalers at Kawran Bazar said the price of onion, garlic and ginger would not go up in the next couple of months if the present ratio of import volume went on smoothly.

We usually make marginal profit by selling onion, garlic and ginger in comparison with the wholesale price, claimed retailers at Hatirpol Bazar yesterday.