Kitchen market price hike hits potatoes
Along with red meat and fish, winter vegetables have also gotten pricier
The price hike is hitting one kitchen market essentials after another as the prices of potatoes, chicken and onion increased by around Tk5 per kilogram just after a week.
Potatoes are being sold at Tk18 per kilogram at the Karwan Bazar kitchen market on Friday morning, compared to Tk14 just a week ago.
Along with red meat and fish, winter vegetables on sale at Dhaka's kitchen markets have also gotten pricier. The overall situation is leaving no breathing room for the consumers as onion prices per kilogram remain around Tk100.
Vegetables are being sold at Tk25-28 per kg at Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur and Kalabagan kitchen markets. Several retailers said the price was only around Tk20 at markets just a week before.
Md Sabuj Mia, a potato wholesaler from the Karwan Bazar said the market prices will come down with the arrival of new potatoes in the beginning of winter. Until then, the prices may remain mostly unchanged.
"Besides, the prices are high as we are almost running out of the current stock of potatoes," he added.
Meanwhile, Gautam Ray, a private firm employee said, "If there was proper monitoring by the government, traders would not be able to increase prices in such a way. Our income remains the same, how can we pay such high prices?"
Poor in quality, high in prices
At the Karwan Bazar, customers were found dissatisfied over the quality of Burmese onion. They said those are black, dirty and look terrible.
At the wholesale market, price of locally grown onion was around Tk100 per kg while Indian onions were at Tk85 per kg. There was another variety of "good quality Burmese onion" available at Tk80 per Kg.
The retailers were aware of the Burmese onion's poor quality. Several sellers said that some variety of onion are terribly low in quality and we are selling those at a low price. But not less than Tk50.
We buy these type of onion at Tk40 per kg and there are customers who are buying it, the retailers added.
Meanwhile, Indian onions have become rarer at local kitchen markets, but still quite available at the Karwan Bazar.