<i>Green chilli hotter, onion prices soar</i>

The price of green chilli that sharply came down last week amid heavy downpour shot up again on the wholesale market yesterday while onion prices kept going up.
Rice prices also increased by Tk 1-2 per kg on the retail market in the last one week. Edible oil prices, meantime, did not register any decrease two days after their prices were fixed.
Five kilograms of green chilli that sold for Tk 30 in the morning were sold at Tk 50 a few hours later in the evening yesterday, with wholesalers projecting further spikes in the coming days.
Green-chilli price dropped to Tk 2 a kg at Karwan Bazar wholesale market a week back as farmers brought maunds of it on the market due to incessant rains having destroyed the plants, wholesalers said.
A trader said green chilli even sold for Tk 1 a kg on the wholesale market in Manikganj, which usually feeds the capital's demand. The low price there forced many farmers keep the crops in the fields, only to rot in the rains.
He said the rains caused a big fall in the green-chilli yield, bringing the present price spiral.
A kg of green chilli sold for Tk 12-24 on the retail market yesterday, which was Tk 10-20 last week.
Meantime, price of locally produced onion increased by Tk 5 per kg and imported one by Tk 3 a kg on the kitchen market in the last two days.
Local onion was selling for Tk 26-29 per kg and imported Indian onion at Tk 20-21 a kg on the wholesale market yesterday, up from Tk 21-24 and Tk 17-18 per kg respectively two days back.
A Karwan Bazar wholesaler attributed the increase to price hike in India.
Coarse rice, meantime, was selling between Tk 35 and Tk 36 per kg, up from Tk 34-36 a week back. Miniket (fine rice) sold at Tk 44-45 a kg; it sold for Tk 42-43 two days ago.
The price of edible oil did not come down even after a meeting between the government and importers and wholesalers in Chittagong Wednesday fixed soya bean and palm oil prices at Tk 112 and Tk 100 per litre.
Soya bean oil was selling at Tk 118 per litre while palm oil at Tk 104 a litre at different wholesale markets yesterday.
The retail market also saw no impact of the meeting as soya bean oil was selling at between Tk 120 and Tk 124 and palm oil between Tk 105 and Tk 110.
The price was the same three days ago.
Wholesalers said it is not possible to sell cooking oil at lower prices unless they get it at lower price.
The price of eggs, however, came down by Tk 3-4 per hali (four pieces), selling at Tk 24-25 on the retail market.