Hot spices become pricier

NEWS DESK

Kitchen items like garlic, lentil, cardamom and dry chilli have become pricier further in the past two days, much to the consumers' woes this Ramadan amid lockdown.

Sources said imported garlic retailed at Tk 180-200 a kg while local variety at Tk 130-150 a kg on Tuesday, a hike by Tk 20-30 a kg in two days.

Haider Ali, a grocer in Dhaka's East Rayerbazar area, said he bought imported garlic at Tk 172 a kg from Sadeq Khan Agricultural Market wholesale on Tuesday.

It was Tk 152-155 a kg only two days ago on Sunday.

Mr Ali said the supply of local garlic was low. So, its wholesale prices also increased by Tk 15-20 a kg.

Prices of the spice showed a decline in mid-April, but the prices started rising, he mentioned.

Asked, Shyambazar-based trader Narayan Chandra Saha said garlic prices have been increasing for a fall in supply from Chattogram.

He said large volumes of both garlic and ginger are yet to be unloaded from ship amid a scarcity of labourers due to the coronavirus lockdown.

But Mr Saha cited that the price has increased by Tk 6.0-8.0 a kg at Shyambazar wholesale market when retailers are charging much higher.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and commerce ministry data, production of local garlic was 0.51 million tonnes in fiscal year 2019 against the domestic demand for 1.1-1.2 million tonnes.

Bangladesh imports 0.5-0.7 million tonnes of garlic a year mainly from China, Myanmar and India to meet the demand.

Ginger prices earlier showed a slight downswing, but it is still retailing at Tk 290-320 a kg.

Meanwhile, the prices of medium-quality lentil rose further as it sold at Tk 110-120 a kg, a hike by Tk 10.

Finer and coarse varieties of lentil remained the same maintaining the previous high rate.

Finer lentil retailed at Tk 135-145 a kg and coarse lentil at Tk 95-100.

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh has recorded a further hike of 3.0-4.0 per cent in lentil prices in the past two days. The prices of pulses have showed an 18-34 per cent hike in a month, it stated.

However, the prices of onion showed Tk 5.0 a kg plunge as sold at Tk 45-55 a kg on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, cardamom prices witnessed Tk 200-250 a kg hike as retailed at Tk 4000-4200 a kg.

The state-run trading agency recorded a 3.0-per cent hike in cardamom prices in a week. Red chilli of local varieties has increased to Tk 280-300 a kg, a hike by Tk 40-50 in the last three days.

Brinjal prices remained the same as it maintained the previous high rate of Tk 50-80 a kg on Tuesday.

Consumers Association of Bangladesh secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said traders are taking advantage of a lack of state monitoring.

The import costs of garlic is maximum Tk 85 a kg when it is retailing at Tk 200 a kg, he added.

Mr Bhuiyan said the ginger, imported at Tk 80-90 a kg in March, is now being traded at more than Tk 300 a kg.