Bangladesh News

The BDR outlets drew few consumers yesterday on reopening after four days as they have started selling coarse rice at Tk 30 per kg, a Tk 5 hike from the previous rate.

Meanwhile, prices of potatoes and all varieties of edible oil marked a significant rise in the city markets in the past two days and the traders have raised the prices of coarse and fine rice on the pretext of the hike in the rice price at the BDR outlets.

Talking to The Daily Star, BDR Sector Commander in Dhaka Col Mujibul Huq said that though the crowds in the outlets were small, the sale was not.

According to him, a total of 300 tonnes of rice were sold in the 75 outlets in the capital yesterday.

Previously, an average of 450 tonnes of coarse rice used to sell daily in the city BDR shops.

In the past two days, the price of potato leapt by Tk 4 to 5 per kg with the traders saying they have not seen such a hike in so short period in recent times.

In the retail markets, potato was selling at Tk 16 to 18 per kg yesterday and at times, it was even seen selling at Tk 20 per kg. Only three days ago, potato was being sold at Tk 12 to 13 per kg in the city markets.

The potato price has gone up in the wholesale markets in the past three days, the wholesalers at the largest potato wholesale market of the city at Karwan Bazar said yesterday adding potato that was being sold at Tk 10.5 to 11.5 per kg earlier was selling at Tk 15 to 17 per kg yesterday.

A potato wholesaler at Karwan Bazaar Abdul Matin told The Daily Star that the supply of the root vegetable was low as the farmers’ household stock is now nearly exhausted, which caused an increase in potato price in the rural markets.

Besides, supply from the cold storage was disrupted due to rain resulting in an unusual rise in the potato price, he added.

Meanwhile, the price of soyabean oil rose by Tk 30 to 40 per maund (37.32kg) whereas the prices of palm oil and super palm oil shot up by Tk 60 to 80 per maund in the wholesale markets.

Soyabean oil that was being sold at Tk 4,020 to Tk 4,040 a maund a day ago, was selling at Tk 4,050 to Tk 4,080 per maund yesterday.

Meanwhile, palm oil and super palm oil were selling at Tk 3,670 to 3,680 and at Tk 3,760 to 3,780 per maund yesterday, which were being sold at Tk 3,590 to Tk 3,600 and Tk 3,700 to Tk 3,710 just a day ago.

Getting the news of the hike in wholesale prices of all kinds of edible oil, some retailers further raised the price by Tk 2 to 4 per kg.

Besides, prices of all kinds of rice have risen by Tk 10 to 20 per maund in the wholesale markets.

Following a hike in the rice prices at the BDR outlets, the rice millers have raised the price, several traders at the Mohammadpur Krishi Market told The Daily Star.

Many of the millers have justified their action saying that if the BDR markets could increase the price by Tk 5 per kg, then they could hike it by Tk 0.5 per kg too, the traders added.