Hartal pushes up commodity prices

ESSu

 Price spiral of most of the essentials has hit the consumers hard and aggravated the sufferings of lower and middle income group buyers of the city, which traders said was caused by the spate of hartals.

Goods from different parts of the country could not reach the capital timely due to the two-day shutdown from Sunday, enforced by the main opposition BNP.

There is a shortage of vegetables and fish in the wholesale market as transportation of goods was hampered by the hartal, traders said.

During visits to the city’s Kaptan Bazar, Khilgaon and Taltola Bazar kitchen markets Monday, prices of edible oil, chicken, fish, pulses and onion were found higher.

Abdul Barek, a trader in the city’s Taltala area, told daily sun that the prices of both local and broiler chicken rose steeply in the last few days due to hartals.

Local chicken was selling between Tk 200 to Tk 450 per piece while boiler chicken was sold at Tk 155 per kg at the kitchen markets yesterday.

Ruhi fish was selling at Tk 300 to Tk 350 per kg, medium-sized katol at Tk 250 per kg, big-size katol at Tk 300 to Tk 350 per kg, koi at 400 per kg, big-sized koi at Tk 600 per kg, catfish at Tk 600 per kg, eel fish at Tk 500 per kg, medium-sized shrimp at Tk 800 per kg and small shrimp was selling at Tk 500 per kg in the city.

Onion was selling at Tk 25 per kg, garlic at Tk 80 per kg, large-sized garlic (foreign) at Tk 60 per kg, ginger at Tk 50 per kg, masoor dal at Tk 100 per kg, potato at Tk 22 per kg, tomato at 40 per kg, patal at 60 per kg, egg at Tk 36 per hali (four pieces) and brinjal was selling at Tk 50 per kg in the city's kitchen markets. Prices of rice, however, remained unchanged at retail level.

At most of the city’s retail markets yesterday, coarse rice was selling between Tk 30 and Tk 32 per kg while Najirshail was retailing at Tk 45 per kg, pyjam at Tk 34 per kg and Kataribhogh at Tk 65 to 70 per kg.

Sugar was retailing at Tk 55 per kg in the city’s Karwan Bazar, Khilgaon, Goran and Taltola Bazar kitchen markets while the item was retiling between Tk 58 to Tk 60 at other parts of the capital.

Farida Akhtar, a housewife from Moghbazar area, told daily sun that the prices of daily essential have been rising over the last few days due to supply crunch caused by repeated hartals.