Prices of essential commodities stable

The prices of daily commodities have been somewhat stable over the past week, while a few items have become cheaper, bringing relief to the general people.

The unusually high prices of vegetables have also come down, Bangla Tribune reports. 

Traders say prices have decreased due to tight government monitoring of the market, as well as increased supply of goods. 

The items whose prices have fallen down include staples like onion, potato, pulses, ginger, chicken, soybean oil and eggs.

According to market insiders, onions are on the top of the list of commodities whose prices went down over the week. 

In the last one week, the price of imported onion dropped by Tk10 per kg, and local onion by Tk5 per kg. Local onions are now being sold at Tk80 per kg, while the price of imported onion is now Tk55 per kg.

According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the price of imported onion has decreased by 11.11% in the last one week.

Potatoes are now available at Tk40 per kg, compared to last week’s Tk45. However, traders said that the price would come down further when new potatoes came into the market.

Ginger was found to be sold at Tk230 per kg on Friday - Tk10 less than what the price was last week. Meanwhile, local ginger’s price also dropped by Tk10, selling at Tk90 per kg this week. 

Chicken, previously priced at Tk125 per kg, is now being sold at Tk120.

Consumers find this stable price to be bittersweet. 

"I am thankful that the prices of goods have not gone up. However, the prices of most products are still beyond the reach of buyers,” Rimi Das, who works for a private company, said.

“Even though our income has decreased during the coronavirus pandemic, our expenditure has not decreased. That's why the price of everything should come down,” she added. 

She further said the government had fixed the price of potatoes twice, but the market did not follow the directive. 

Vegetables have gotten cheaper too

Prices of cauliflower, aubergines, papaya and carrot have come down slightly as well. 

Visiting different markets in Dhaka on Friday, this reporter found that the prices of most vegetables were below Tk100 per kg. 

Rabiul Haque, a vegetable trader in Maniknagar area, said the prices of all types of vegetables had dropped. 

“Last week, I sold one kg of carrots for Tk100, now I am selling it at Tk70 per kg. Prices have come down as supply has increased," he added.

In a few days, the prices of other vegetables will also come down, he said.