Chicken prices fall but vegetable prices refuse to budge in post Eid market

Chicken prices, having briefly surged ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, have now eased back in Dhaka markets.

Most vegetable prices, which surged towards the end of Ramadan, remain high.

A visit to the capital’s Mohakhali and Sattola kitchen markets on Friday revealed such price trends.

Sellers blame the limited supply of summer vegetables for the high prices in the market.

Despite minor fluctuations, most vegetables were selling for between Tk 60 and Tk 100 per kg.

Bitter gourd was priced at Tk 80, yardlong beans between Tk 100 and Tk 110, pointed gourd at Tk 80, and okra at Tk 60 per kg.

Other vegetables like Sponge gourd, snake gourd, taro stem, and ridge gourd were also selling at Tk 80 per kg.

Green chillies have gone up by Tk 20, selling for between Tk 80 and Tk 100 per kg.

Though winter vegetables such as hyacinth beans were in short supply, they were still available, selling between Tk 60 and Tk 80 per kg.

Cauliflower was selling at Tk 60 each depending on size, cabbage at Tk 50, and bottle gourd between Tk 60 and Tk 80.

Brinjal prices have come down by Tk 10 to Tk 20 from two weeks ago, now ranging between Tk 60 and Tk 80 per kg depending on the variety.

Drumsticks also saw a drop of Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg, now selling at Tk 150.

Among vegetables priced below Tk 50, green bananas were selling at Tk 40 per bunch, papayas at Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg, sweet pumpkins at Tk 30 to Tk 40, and potatoes at Tk 25 per kg

Ripe tomatoes were going for Tk 30 to Tk 40 depending on variety, carrots at Tk 50, radishes at Tk 60, and cucumbers between Tk 50 and Tk 60.

Capsicum was priced at Tk 120 per kg.

In addition, lemons are priced at Tk 30 to Tk 40 per four pieces, coriander leaves at Tk 150 per kg, and each ash gourd at Tk 60 to Tk 70 depending on size.

‘LOW SUPPLY, SO PRICES ARE SLIGHTLY HIGH’

In response to a question about why vegetable prices remain high, Md Mukul, a vegetable seller at Sattola kitchen market, told bdnews24.com: “After winter vegetables go out of season and summer vegetables begin to enter the market, prices tend to stay slightly high.

“Later, as supply increases, prices gradually come down. You’ll see winter vegetables are also a bit expensive at first — then, as supply grows, prices drop.”

Liton Hossain, another vegetable seller at Mohakhali kitchen market, said: “Prices are still a bit high because the summer vegetables haven’t fully arrived yet.

“Within a couple of weeks, they should fall to around Tk 60,” he added. “This year, due to very little rainfall, the yield has also been low.”

CHICKEN PRICES DROP

The price of chicken, which had slightly increased a day or two before Eid, has dropped by Tk 10 to 50 in the market.

Broiler chicken is now selling for Tk 180–190 per kg, down by Tk 10–20 from last week.

Golden chicken has fallen by Tk 50 per kg to Tk 270, while golden hybrid has come down by Tk 30–40 to Tk 250 per kg.

The Red layer chicken has decreased by Tk 20 to Tk 280 per kg, the white layer is selling for Tk 270, and desi (local) chicken has fallen by Tk 20 to Tk 630 per kg.

Rajib Hossain, a vendor at Rajib Mukta Poultry Shop in Sattola market, told bdnews24.com: “Chicken prices have come down compared to before.

“Prices had gone up slightly when supply dropped a bit. Now, supply is stable again, so prices have returned to their previous levels.”

In the markets, a dozen red eggs continue to sell at Tk 125–130. Duck eggs are selling for Tk 220 a dozen, while a set of four local chicken eggs costs Tk 90.

Beef is being sold at Tk 780 per kg. Beef liver is priced at Tk 800, beef head meat at Tk 450–480, beef tripe at Tk 350–400, and goat meat at Tk 1,150–1,200 per kg.

HILSA PRICES RISE SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF POHELA BOISHAKH

With Pohela Boishakh approaching, the price of hilsa has increased slightly in the market.

Last week, hilsa weighing 250 to 300g was selling at Tk 550 per kg, but this week the asking price has reached Tk 600.

For hilsa weighing between 700 and 800 grams, vendors are asking between Tk 900 and 1,000 per kg.

Slightly larger hilsa, weighing between 1 and 1.5kg, is being offered at prices ranging from Tk 1,500 to 2,000 per kg.

Bakul Mia, a fish vendor at Sattola market, said: “The price of hilsa always goes up before Pohela Boishakh. It’s nothing new.”

Asked about the reason, he said, “The price of hilsa increases during the auction at the landing stations around this time. By the time it reaches us through two or three middlemen, the price goes up.

“But once Pohela Boishakh is over, it will return to earlier rates.”

OIL AVAILABLE BUT PRICED ABOVE MARKED RATE

Despite visible supplies of bottled soyabean oil in markets, consumers have complained that they are being forced to pay more than the officially printed price.

Sellers, however, claim they cannot afford to sell at the government-fixed rates as their own purchase prices remain higher.

In front of Lakshmipur General Store at Mohakhali kitchen market, a steady supply of oil was visible, with one-litre, two-litre, and five-litre bottles of soyabean oil neatly lined up outside the shop.

A scuffle, however, broke out at Sattola market when buyer Hamidul Islam protested paying Tk 190 for a one-litre bottle of Rupchanda brand oil, which had a printed price of Tk 175.

Vendor Faruk Hossain defended the markup, saying he himself had bought the oil only slightly below the printed rate and could not afford to sell it at face value.

“Dealers are releasing some oil now, but there has been a prolonged shortage in the market, he said. “If I sell at the printed price, there's almost no profit.

“I’m not forcing anyone to buy. This price is equivalent to that of bottled palm oil, but he wouldn’t buy that,” he said.

As per government-fixed rates, the price of bottled soyabean oil should be Tk 175 per litre, Tk 345 for two litres, and Tk 852 for five litres.

As per Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) data from Friday, one-litre bottles of soybean oil were selling for Tk 175–176 while five-litre bottles ranged from Tk 845–850.

Loose soyabean oil was priced at Tk 158–168 per litre, palm oil at Tk 144–150, and super palm oil at Tk 150–155 per litre.

ONION, GARLIC PRICES UNCHANGED

Onions and garlic are being sold in the market at the same prices as before.

Locally grown onions are priced at Tk 35–40 per kg while imported onions are selling at Tk 50 per kg.

Among other essentials, local ginger is priced at Tk 120 per kg, while Chinese ginger is Tk 150. Local garlic is being sold at Tk 90, large garlic at Tk 230, local lentils at Tk 140, Indian lentils at Tk 110, mung beans at Tk 120, chickpeas at Tk 110, and dried red chillies at Tk 320 per kg.

Al Amin, a seller at Masuma General Store, said: “The prices of most spices, including onions, have stayed the same as before Eid.

“Supply is also adequate, which is why there hasn’t been much fluctuation in prices,” he added.