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Download PDF In the wake of India’s hiking the minimum export price for its rice, traders here have reportedly started hoarding the staple.
Retailers and wholesalers across the country already raised the price of Indian coarse varieties by Tk 70 to Tk 80 and fine rice by Tk 20 to Tk 50 per maund (37.32 kg) yesterday.
A section of traders is trying to create an artificial crisis by hoarding rice imported from India at Benapole, Sharsha, Bagchara, Nawapara, Navaran and Jhikargachha areas, reports a correspondent from Benapole.
In the last six days, 12,878 tonnes of rice have been imported from the neighbouring country.
Meanwhile, prices of other essentials too have been rising. Pulses, flour, edible oil and sugarall marked a fresh rise yesterday after a downward trend over the last two weeks. Prices of chicken, egg and fish continued to rise in both wholesale and retail markets.
BDR shops in the city yesterday saw a huge rush of customers. Mostly belonging to middle and lower-middle income brackets, people waited for hours in the queue to buy rice.
In the wholesale markets, the price of coarse rice like Indian Swarna and Ratna ranged between Tk 1,280 and Tk 1,250 a maund yesterday. Only a day ago, they sold at Tk 1,170-Tk 1,200 per maund. Local coarse varieties were selling at Tk 1,160 to Tk 1,250 per maund.
Retailers were selling coarse varieties at Tk 33 to Tk 40 per kg yesterday while they charged Tk 33 to Tk 36 a day back. Many traders and wholesalers were showing newspaper clippings to the customers.
Talking to The Daily Star, some traders said newspaper reports on the hike in price of Indian rice Sunday have given the importers, wholesalers and traders a pretext for raising the price.
A wholesaler in the city’s Babubazar said there is no valid reason for price hike since supply in the market is adequate while new local rice will be available within next 15 to 20 days.
Zarina Bibi, who was queuing up since early morning at the BDR shop on Mohammadpur Ring Road, told The Daily Star that she had rushed here on hearing the price would soon rise beyond Tk 70-80 a kg, and there would not be much left in the market.
For the last two days, people at BDR shops were allowed to buy five kgs of rice instead of four kgs per person.
Abdul Mannan of Hatirpul said, “Thinking of the days to come, I’ve bought 20 kg rice and I needed to borrow money for that.”
Meanwhile, price of pulses rose by Tk 2 to Tk 3 per kg in the wholesale markets yesterday after it fell by Tk 6-11 over the last two weeks.
Asked, the wholesalers and retailers could not give any reason for the hike when new pulses entered the market only a week ago.
The wholesale price of flour increased by Tk 100 per sack [74 kg] while that of edible oil rose by Tk 60 to Tk 100 per maund [26.22 kg] in last two days.
Sugar sold at Tk 1,800-1,850 per 50-kg sack yesterday while only three days back, it cost Tk 1,700.
In the retail outlets, battery chicken was selling at Tk 95-105 per kg while two days ago it sold at Tk 90-95. The price of egg was Tk 19 to Tk 22 yesterday, rising by Tk 2 per hali (four eggs).
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