Market becomes place of panic for consumer

Prices of everything out of reach

Zarif Mahmud: The commodity market has now become a place of panic for the consumers. Because the price of every product has gone up and out of reach. When you go to the market with a bag, the buyer gets shocked after hearing the prices. A kg of green chilly has crossed Tk 250. The price of a hali of (4-pices) eggs increased from Tk 40 to Tk 55 within a month. The chicken market is still in shambles. No vegetables are available below Tk 50. Beef is being sold at Tk 780 to Tk 800. The fish market is also up. There is no relief in the rice-dal-sugar market either. As Eid-ul-Adha is ahead, the prices of all kinds of spices have started to increase.
On Friday (May 24), this image can be seen by visiting different markets of the capital.
Broiler chicken is being sold at Tk 230 per kg on Friday. Golden chicken is being sold at the price of Tk 400 in the markets. Golden hybrid is selling at Tk 360, local chicken at Tk 650 to Tk 680 per kg, layer chicken at Tk 350 and white layer at Tk 320.
All kinds of vegetables are being sold at high prices in the market. In the markets, summer vegetables are Tk 120 per kg, brinjal Tk 70 to Tk 100, bitter gourd Tk 80, potal Tk60, rind Tk50, barbati Tk100, cucumber Tk60, gourd Tk40 to Tk50 each, papaya Tk80 per kg, dhundal Tk60, Chichinga Tk60, Kachur Lati Tk80, Shrimp Tk80, Sajon Tk160 and green mangoes are being sold at Tk60 to Tk80 per kg.
In the markets, radishes are being sold at Tk 50 per kg, cauliflower at Tk 40 to Tk 50 each, cabbage at Tk 40 to Tk 50, broccoli at Tk 40, ripe tomatoes at Tk 40 to Tk 60 and carrots at Tk 80 per kg.
Lemon hali is selling at Tk 10 to Tk 40, Coriander leaves at Tk 300 to Tk 350, Banana hali at Tk 40, Sweet Pumpkin at Tk 40 to Tk 50 a kg. Red vegetables are sold at Tk15, gourd vegetables at Tk40, radish vegetables at Tk15, spinach at Tk15 to Tk20, and kale at Tk10. Tk70 taka per kg of local onion and Tk55 per kg of potato.
A kg of beef is being sold at Tk 780 to Tk 800, beef liver at Tk 780, beef head at Tk 450 and goat meat at Tk 1,100 to Tk 1,500. In the markets, red eggs are sold at Tk150 per dozen, duck eggs at Tk200, domestic chicken eggs at Tk85 per dozen.
Hilsa fish weighing 500 grams is being sold at Tk 1,100 per kg in the markets. 700 to 800 gram hilsa kg Tk1,800. Tk400 to Tk600 per kg of cultivated horn (depending on size), Tk 400 to 600 ruhi (depending on size), Tk 900 to Tk 1,000, Mrigel Tk 300 to Tk 450, Pangash Tk 210 to Tk 230, Shrimp Tk 800 to Tk 1,300, Boal Tk500 to Tk900, Katla Tk400 to Tk600, Poa Tk400 to Tk600, PabdaTk400 to Tk500, Tilapia Tk220, KaiTk 220 to Tk240, Mala Tk500, Batasi TengraTk1,600, TengraTk600 to Tk800, Kachki Tk 600, Panchmishali Tk 220, Roopchanda Tk 1,200, Baim Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,500, Local Koi Tk 1,200, Meni Tk 700, Shol Tk 600 to Tk 1,000, Iir Tk 700 to Tk 1,000, Bele Tk700 and kaikka fish is being sold for Tk 600.
In these markets, the price of coarse rice is Tk 48 to Tk 50, BR-Atash Tk 55 to Tk 58, Payzam Tk 58 to Tk 60. Tk75 per kg of medium quality thin rice. And good quality thin rice is Tk80 per kg. Dal is being sold in the markets at the previous price. Domestic and imported lentils are Tk 150, imported coarse pulses are Tk 120, gram dal is Tk 130, anchor dal is Tk 90 per kg. Ginger 240 to Tk260 and garlic Tk220 to Tk240.
The price of onion has also increased. Onion is selling at Tk 70-80 per kg, which is Tk 5 per kg higher than last week. Besides, ginger or garlic is not available for less than Tk220 to Tk240. A kg of potato was Tk 50 last week but it was seen to be sold at Tk 55 per kg.
The sale of eggs in the market reached half a century last week. It was seen that Tk55 is still being sold in neighborhood-mahalla shops. Which was Tk 45 last week, and Tk 40 three weeks ago. Among the two major wholesale egg markets in the capital Dhaka, one is the Tejgaon Railway Station wholesale egg market adjacent to Karwan Bazar, and the other is Kaptan Bazar in Old Dhaka.
Talking to traders of both markets, it is known that last Monday wholesale brown eggs were sold for Tk1,180 to Tk1,200 per 100 pieces. Marginal farmers are blaming the Tejgaon farmers’ syndicate for the rise and fall in the price of eggs.
They say that a few days ago, the egg owners reduced the price of eggs abnormally. At that time, eggs have been stored in freezers all over the country. Now they are making profit by increasing the price.
President of Bangladesh Poultry Association Suman Howladar said that they (Tejgaon Arat owners) determine the price of eggs through messages across the country. He suddenly reduced the price and took eggs from the farmers and stored them in the freezer. After that, the syndicate looted the additional profit by raising the price again.
He said that although Tk15 to Tk20 lakh eggs are sold daily in the markets of Dhaka, hoarders control the market of about 4 crore eggs sold daily across the country through mobile phone messages or short messages. Every day they inform the market price to the traders all over the country through messages. They are now the largest syndicate in the egg market.