Prices of onion, potato heat up ahead of Eid

The onion and potato have got dearer in the kitchen markets across the capital in a week due to their short supplies, inclement weather and higher demand ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Traders said they are selling the local varieties at a higher price as there is no imported onion in the market at present.

However, the consumers are blaming a section of dishonest traders for the price hike, saying the traders have created an artificial crisis through stockpiling of onion and potato ahead of Eid-ul-Azha to make extra profits.

After visiting several kitchen markets including Kawran Bazar in the city, the correspondent found that the local variety of onion was being sold at Tk 45 to Tk 50 per kg while it was Tk 35 to Tk 40 a week ago.

At the same time, per kg of potato is being sold at Tk 30 which was Tk 25 in the last week.    

Md Tareque, an onion seller at Kawran Bazar kitchen market, told the Business Insider Bangladesh that the onion price went up due to its supply crunch, flood and increased demand ahead of the Eid.

The onion price will again go up if it is not imported right now, Tareque said.

There has not been any imported onion in the market for the last few days and that is why the price of the important cooking spice has spiked, Salam Sheikh, owner of Matri Bhandar wholesale onion shop at the kitchen market, said.

“We had to buy onion at a bit higher rate and now we are selling it at Tk 45 to Tk 50 per kg based on its variation,” he said.

Besides, the prices of different kinds of vegetables have also increased by Tk 5 to Tk 10 per kg in the current week compared to the previous week due to the inclement weather.

However, the price of cucumber has increased by Tk 20 to Tk 30 per kg and it is now being sold at Tk 70 and Tk 80 per kg.

After increasing Tk 10 compared to the previous week, per kg of Chichinga (snake-gourd) is being sold at Tk 40, okra at Tk 40, ridge ground at Tk 40, carrot at Tk 70 and papaya at Tk 30, respectively.

While talking to the reporter, some consumers said the low and middle income people are going through a financial hardship due to the increasing prices of the daily essentials.

Many of them said that finding no alternatives they are buying less than what they actually needed.