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Prices of eggs, chicken, and onion increased further in the city markets last week ending on Thursday over the previous week, raising consumers' woes.
Prices of other essential commodities remained more or less unchanged at their previous high levels, according to trading sources.
Local varieties of onion were selling between Tk 65 and Tk 75 per kg on Thursday, up from Tk 60-65 per kg a week earlier.
With the fresh hike, price of the key essential item rose by Tk 20 per kg over the past two and a half weeks.
Transactions of seasonal 'storable' onions, commonly known as 'haali' or 'Taherpuri', have already begun in the market.
Traders at the onion-producing regions namely Pabna, Faridpur, and Kushtia along with the wholesalers at Dhaka's Shyambazar, are currently making significant stocks of onion.
Farmers, those who have cultivated 'Taherpuri' variety of onions, are fetching good prices as its harvesting season almost comes to an end, said Rafiqul Hasan, a vegetable and spice trader in the Beribadh-Mohammadpur area of the capital.
He predicted a further rise in the onion prices before the Eid-ul-Azha as the demand for the spice normally go up by around three folds during the festival.
Mohsin Ali, a trader at the city's Shyambazar market, said onion imports were restricted during the harvest period to protect local farmers.
He said it is time to ease such restrictions as the harvest of the seasonal crop has almost completed.
SM Nazer Hossain, Vice President of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said onion prices began climbing sharply after many farmers sold out their crops.
He stressed the need for strict monitoring on the major onion markets like Shyambazar and Karwan Bazar in Dhaka to prevent any artificial price hikes of the item.
"To help keep onion prices stable, import restrictions should be relaxed," he said.
Meanwhile, farm eggs were selling at Tk 140 to Tk 150 a dozen on Thursday, reflecting a weekly rise of Tk 5.0-10 a dozen.
Grocers said egg prices have increased by Tk 10-15 a dozen over the past two weeks.
Kamal Hossain, an egg trader from Tejgaon in the city, said they are purchasing eggs at higher prices from poultry farms due to reduced production caused by erratic weather.
He said that egg prices have risen by Tk 8.0-10 a dozen over the last two weeks at the farm level.
Broiler chicken prices also went up by 10 a kg to reach Tk 180-200 a kg.
Prices of Pakistani or Sonali species of chicken saw a significant rise by Tk 20 a kg and was selling at Tk 290-320 a kg at the city retail markets,.
On the other hand, vegetable prices remained almost static at their previous highs in the city markets.
Ridge gourd and pointed gourd were selling at Tk 70-80 per kg while the prices of okra and green papaya were ranging between Tk 60 and Tk70 per kg.
Long-yard beans, bitter gourd and brinjal were selling at Tk 80-100, teasel gourd Tk 90-110, colocasia stem and eddo Tk 100-120, and moringa at Tk 150 a kg.
Prices of tomato and cucumber remained unchanged at previous rates of Tk 50-80 a kg while green chilli further increased to Tk 180-200 a kg.
Prices of rice also remained more or less steady at Tk 60-95 a kg while beef was also selling at its previous rate of Tk 750-800 a kg.
Sugar was retailing at Tk 120-130 a kg while farmed ruhi and katla fish were selling at Tk 380-450 a kg.
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