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Despite subsidised government sales, the prices of fish, meat, some vegetables and potato showed further hike last week amid the beginning of Ramadan as traders raised prices for lack of market monitoring, insiders said.
Beef skyrocketed to Tk 750-820 a kg, broiler chicken Tk 230-240 a kg, Pakistani chicken (kok) Tk 350-370 a kg on Thursday, marking Tk 20-40 a kg further hike.
All kinds of cultured fish including pangas, koi, tilapia, ruhi, katla and pabda witnessed a hike by Tk 50-60 a kg in a week causing further woes to the commoners during this fasting month.
Cultured koi was retailed at Tk 260-Tk 330 a kg and tilapia Tk 240-300 a kg on Thursday.
Cultured ruhi and katla were retailed at Tk 380-520 a kg on the day.
Cultured shrimp was sold at a minimum of Tk 750 a kg while riverine prawn at Tk 1,000-1,350 a kg.
Prices of hilsa, riverine ruhi, katla and shoul increased by Tk 100-200 a kg.
Indigenous ruhi (3.0 kg and above) was sold at Tk 650-1,050 a kg and katla at Tk 600-1,000 a kg at Karwan Bazar, Shantinagar Bazar and Newmarket in the city depending on their size.
Shoul was available at Tk 600-850, riverine pabda and aair at Tk 750-1,250 a kg.
Mohsin Ali, at Banalata Market under Newmarket area, said supply of fish has declined while demand surged for Ramadan.
He said a surge in beef and broiler chicken has also had an impact on the fish market.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh vice president SM Nazer Hossain said the government has almost failed to take a hold over the volatile market.
He said a lack of proper monitoring as well as exemplary punishment for the wrongdoers encouraged traders to raise prices at their will.
He said the two city corporations earlier set prices of beef and other red meats during the Ramadan and Eids. But they have not been doing this duty for the last four years, he said.
He said potato prices soared by Tk 10 a kg to Tk 40 in the last three days despite the fact that it is the peak harvesting season.
He said the same thing is happening to brinjal and cucumber markets as farmers were getting Tk 20-24 a kg for the vegetables but retail prices of those are Tk 100-140 a kg in Dhaka.
However, the government has started selling beef, broiler chicken, milk, egg at an affordable price at 30 points in the city.
Broiler chicken (dressed) is being sold at Tk 250 a kg and beef at Tk 600 a kg in the trucks --Tk 100 and Tk 150 less than that of the mainstream market, said the Department of Livestock Services (DLS).
Farm economist Prof Dr Gazi M Jalil, said the fair price sales by the government could reach products to maximum 6,000 families a day against 6.0 million families in the city, leaving no impact on the mainstream market.