Garlic prices pushed up ahead of Ramadan [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Garlic prices pushed up ahead of Ramadan

Local May 07, 2016

Garlic prices continued to rise on the city’s kitchen markets ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, with the prices of the item climbing by Tk 20-Tk 30 a kg over the week.
Retailers and wholesalers blamed each other for the soaring garlic prices, despite the commerce minister’s recent assurance that its prices would not rise ahead of Ramadan.
The price of imported garlic (China) grew by Tk 30 a kg over the week selling at Tk 200-Tk 230 a kg on Friday.
Retailers in several kitchen markets in the city even asked Tk 250-Tk 260 for a kilogram of garlic imported from China.
The prices of local garlic rose by Tk 20 a kg being sold at Tk 110-Tk 130 a kg, while the item imported from India was retailing at Tk 120-Tk 130 a kg.
A commerce ministry data that was placed before a April 24 review meeting with the traders on supply, prices, and stocks of essential commodities showed that the country’s annual demand for garlic is 5 lakh tonnes, while the local production was 4.65 lakh tonnes in the fiscal year 2014-15.
According to the data, some 38,000 tonnes of garlic have been imported in the July-March period of the FY2015-16.
‘We do not know about the retail prices of garlic, but the wholesale prices have remained stable,’ Narayan Chandra Saha, a wholesaler at Shambazar, told New Age.
According to Narayan, the wholesale prices of Indian garlic ranged between Tk 65 and Tk 70 a kg, while the local item was wholesaled at Tk 60-Tk 80 a kg depending on quality.
He said the supply of Indian garlic has increased, but there is a supply shortage of the Chinese garlic in the market.
On Friday, Chinese garlic was selling at Tk 160 a kg on the wholesale market, Narayan said.
Habibur Rahman, a retailer at Rampura kitchen market, said retailers were forced to step up the garlic prices following an increase in the wholesale prices.
The price of broiler chicken increased by Tk 5 a kg, with the item selling at Tk 155-Tk 165 a kg, while the locally-bred hens were selling at Tk 280-Tk 350 a kg on Friday.
Beef was selling at Tk 400-Tk 430 a kg and mutton at Tk 600 a kg on the day.
The prices of red lentil remained high. The fine variety of imported red lentil was selling at Tk 150-Tk 160 a kg and the coarse variety at Tk 110 a kg, while local red lentil was retailing at Tk 150-Tk 155 a kg.
Onion prices also remained high and the local varieties were being retailed at Tk 45-Tk 48 a kg and imported onions at Tk 20-Tk 35 a kg.
Prices of eggs remained unchanged selling at Tk 32 a hali (four pieces) on Friday.
Sugar was selling at Tk 55 a kg during the week, while the price of potato remained unchanged at Tk 18-Tk 20 a kg.
Aubergine was selling at Tk 30-Tk 50 a kg, green chilli at Tk 60 a kg, bitter gourds at Tk 40-Tk 50 a kg, cucumber at Tk 40 a kg, bottle gourd at Tk 40-Tk 50 per piece, okra at Tk 40 a kg, tomato at Tk 40-Tk 50 a kg, and papaya at Tk 30 a kg.
The price of unpacked soya bean oil remained unchanged, with the fine quality of the item selling at Tk 88-Tk 90 a kg on Friday, while palm oil was selling at Tk 65-Tk 67 a kg.
The price of a one-litre container of soya bean oil stood at Tk 96-Tk 98, while that of a 5-litre container remained unchanged at Tk 440-Tk 460 in the city’s retail markets on Friday.
Fish prices remained unchanged. Rohita was selling at Tk 200-Tk 320 a kg, katla at Tk 200-Tk 300 a kg, pangas at Tk 120-Tk 280 a kg, and tilapia at Tk 120-Tk 180 a kg, depending on size and quality.
The coarse variety of miniket rice was retailing at Tk 43-Tk 45 a kg, while the fine variety was selling at Tk 46-Tk 50 a kg in the city markets on Friday.
The fine variety of najirshail rice had been selling at Tk 52-Tk 54 a kg during the week. The fine variety of BR-28 rice was selling at Tk 42-Tk 44 a kg and the coarse variety at Tk 40 kg on Friday.