Onion and veggie prices dip, fish stay costly

Prices of locally grown onions have started to fall in Dhaka, as Bangladesh has resumed importing the kitchen staple from India after a long break.

Meanwhile, vegetable prices have slightly eased after a sharp rise over the past two to three weeks. However, the high prices of fish, meat, and eggs remain unchanged.

Visits to several markets in the capital over the past two days, including Karwan Bazar, Shewrapara, Ibrahimpur, and Mirpur-11, along with traders' accounts, reflect this trend.

Last week, the price of local onions in the capital's markets ranged between Tk 80 and Tk 90 per kilogramme. As of yesterday, the price had fallen to Tk 70–80 per kilogramme, depending on the market.

Notably, the price of local onions started to rise a couple of weeks ago after being sold at Tk 50–60 per kilogramme last month.

Sajib Sheikh, a wholesaler at Karwan Bazar, told The Daily Star yesterday night that onions imported from India arrived in the market last Monday. As a result, traders and farmers have started releasing their stock of local onions, which mainly led to a drop of Tk 6–7 per kilogramme in the wholesale price of local onions.

Yesterday, the wholesale price of local onions stood at Tk 64–72 per kg, down from Tk 70–77 per kg last week. Indian onions are being sold wholesale at Tk 68–69 per kg, while the retail price of Indian onions was Tk 75–80 per kg.

Marjina Begum, a resident of Banani who shops for onions, garlic, potatoes, and other essentials at Karwan Bazar every Friday, said compared to last week, prices seemed a bit lower this week. "But there is no reason to feel relieved, because prices can go up anytime," she said. "I don't understand the market. Many times, you see prices go down by Tk 5, and the following week they shoot up by Tk 10," she added.

Homemaker Pinky Begum, a resident of Green Road, said she found onions, potatoes, and garlic were selling at Tk 80, 25, and 170 per kilo, respectively, in her area yesterday. She then went to Karwan Bazar and bought the same products at Tk 70, 18, and 140 per kilo.

"When I come to Karwan Bazar, I usually buy in larger quantities, so I get them at a bit lower price. I urge the government to ensure a proper supply of daily essentials in the market. If this is monitored properly, prices will remain stable," she said.

Meanwhile, after remaining high for the past two to three weeks, vegetable prices eased slightly yesterday. Bitter gourd, eggplant, pointed gourd, okra, ridge gourd, teasel gourd, and yardlong beans, which were selling at Tk 80 to 120 per kilo last week, were available yesterday in different Dhaka markets for Tk 60 to 100 per kilogramme.

Faruk Hossain, who has been selling vegetables at Karwan Bazar for nearly 30 years, said from his experience that prices usually remain somewhat high during this season towards the end of the monsoon due to lower supply, and this year is no exception. However, compared to the past two weeks, the supply of vegetables has increased this week, bringing down prices by Tk 10 to 20 per kilo.

On the other hand, beef is being sold as usual at Tk 750–800 per kg, Sonali chicken at Tk 320–330, Sonali cross chicken at Tk 280–300 per kg, and eggs at Tk 130–150 per dozen.

As always during the monsoon season, fish prices remain high. Farmed rui and katla fish weighing between one and one-and-a-half kilogrammes are selling for Tk 330–400 per kg. Various types of small indigenous fish are selling for Tk 800–1,200 per kg.

Meanwhile, the price of hilsa remains steep. Even in peak season, hilsa weighing one kilogramme is not available below Tk 2,200–2,400 per kg depending on the market.