Onion, veg prices rise amid chilly weather

FT ONLINE

Prices of onion and some vegetables witnessed a hike on Saturday which traders attributed to the ongoing cold wave with heavy fog that hampered the supply of these produces.

Prices of cooking spice onion, which showed a gradual decline for the last two weeks, increased on Saturday by Tk 10-20 per kilogram (kg) both at retail and wholesale levels, sources said.

Newly-harvested seed onion (known as murikata), was sold at Tk 110-130 a kg at retail markets- a Tk-20 hike per kilogram. Imported varieties were retailed at Tk 50-100 a kg on the day- Tk 10 hike.

Kamrul Hasan, a grocer at Banalata Kitchen market in New Market era, said murikata onion's price increased by Tk 20 a kg at wholesales in one day.

"I bought new onion at Tk 105 a kg from Shyambazar today (Saturday) which was Tk 85 on Friday morning," he mentioned.

Narayan Chandra Saha, a Shyambazar-based trader, said supply of onion is being disrupted for the current inclement weather while cost of transportation the spice crop also increased due to the cold wave and heavy fog.

"Its prices have also gone up and down in Pabna, Faridpur, Kushtia and Jashore - the main onion-producing regions," He noted.

However, the price is likely to decline again in the next two or three days as a large quantity of onion will be supplied from Natore and Pabna districts, he added.

Prices of cauliflower, cabbage, bitter gourd, bottled gourd, radish showed a Tk 5.0-10 hike at per kg or a piece in a day which is also blamed on the chilly weather that is hampering collection of crops in many places.

Prices of poultry meat and fish also showed a further hike on Saturday.

Indigenous (desi) chicken was sold at Tk 550-600 per kg, Sonali or Pakistani variety at Tk 250- 280 a kg, broiler Tk 130-135 a kg and layer Tk 185- 190 a kg yesterday -Tk 10-50 rise in the last couple of days.

Traders said a rise in demand from both restaurants and households ahead of the upcoming New Year's eve has caused the hike in poultry meat prices.