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Download PDF Prices of rice varieties and soybean oil have been rising by the day for the last four days in the capital, forcing consumers to throng the price controlled shops set up by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).
The Daily Star correspondent visiting retail and wholesale kitchen markets in the city over the last four days found spiralling prices of most varieties of rice starting at Tk 28 a kilogram (kg) yesterday. The price of soybean oil sold loose rose by Tk 6 a litre over the last four days.
Prices of coarse rice like chapal, Irri, and Indian swarna shot up to Tk 28 to Tk 29 a kg yesterday from the four day old prices of Tk 25 to Tk 26 a kg.
Najirshail, a variety of medium quality rice available on the market, which had been sold for Tk 34 to Tk 35 a kg four days ago, was selling for Tk 37 to Tk 38 a kg yesterday.
The price of miniket, another variety of popular medium quality rice, leapt to Tk 40 to Tk 42 a kg on the retail markets yesterday whereas the same had been sold for Tk 36 to Tk 38 a kg just four days ago.
Prices of paijam and other categories of rice also rose by Tk 3 to Tk 4 a kg over the same period.
Aiyub Ali, owner of Barisal Agency at Karwan Bazar, said prices of all kinds of rice have been going up almost twice a day on the wholesale markets since the Eid-ul-Azha.
Meanwhile, the wholesalers of Badamtali in the old part of the city, said price hikes at the source, and a shortage of supply coupled with increasing transportation cost are pushing the rice price up in the capital.
Although the aman variety of rice has not arrived in the markets of the capital, its harvest is currently available at the source, but wholesalers fear that the arrival of aman is not likely to arrest the price hike since the entire agricultural sector is still reeling from the aftershocks of Cyclone Sidr and the two floods preceding it. On top of that the production cost this year also saw a sharp rise, contributing to the ongoing price hike of rice, they added.
Soybean oil was being sold loose for Tk 93 to Tk 96 a litre yesterday on the retail markets, the price of which had been Tk 87 to Tk 90 a litre four days ago.
While the price of a five-litre can of soybean oil rose to Tk 460 to Tk 475 from Tk 440 to Tk 450 four days ago.
Failing to cope with the spiralling prices of essentials on the kitchen markets, shoppers of low income group population of the city were seen thronging the BDR shops with visceral desperation.
Different varieties of coarse rice were being sold for Tk 20 a kg at the BDR shops yesterday, said a source in the border security force which had been deployed within the city limits by the interim government for curbing the incessantly skyrocketing prices of essentials.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
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