Rice, pulses, atta and flour have all become dearer in Dhaka. A round of several retail markets on Monday (26 October) found rice up by Tk 2 to 5 a kilo over two weeks and some pulses up by Tk 20 to 30 a kilo. With incomes flat, many families are buying less.
Fine Nazirshail and Miniket rice sells at Tk 70 to 90 a kilo depending on quality, against Tk 68 to 85 a week ago. Medium Paijam, BRRI-28 and BRRI-29 are up Tk 3 at Tk 58 to 65, and coarse China IRRI, Guti and Swarna up Tk 2 to 3 at Tk 50 to 55. Loose aromatic polao rice is the exception, down Tk 30 to Tk 190, while packaged polao rice still sells at Tk 220 to 230. A year ago, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), coarse rice cost Tk 55 to 65 a kilo and fine rice Tk 75 to 85.
Traders say old rice usually gains Tk 1 to 2 a kilo once the new harvest reaches the market; this time it rose before the new crop arrived, which Md Jahangir Alam, manager of Mohammad Hossain Rice at Dhupkhola Math bazaar, called unusual. New rice may reach retail markets from December.
Pulses have climbed faster. Coarse masoor (red lentil) sells at Tk 95 to 110 a kilo and the better grade at Tk 150 to 170. Mung dal rose Tk 10 in a week to Tk 120 to 170. Buter dal went from Tk 90 to Tk 120, chhola dal rose Tk 20 to Tk 110, and dabli and anchor dal rose Tk 10 to Tk 65. Motor (Tk 120) and mashkalai (Tk 190) are unchanged.
Loose atta costs Tk 48 to 50 a kilo and packaged atta Tk 65 to 70. By TCB's count, loose atta rose 2 per cent and packaged atta 8 per cent in a month, loose flour 3.70 per cent and packaged flour 6 per cent; loose flour now sells at Tk 70 and packaged flour at Tk 85 to 90.
Traders link the rises to transport costs since diesel, petrol and octane went up by Tk 20 a litre in September, and some also cite power and gas problems. Md Faruk Hossain of Adnan and Arafat Traders believes the government's export ban brought loose polao rice down. Twelve-month average inflation stood at 8.65 per cent in September, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. People in the sector say TCB and open-market sales fall short of demand, and that besides fines, supply must be kept steady and social protection and rationing widened.
Reported by Banglanews24's senior correspondent.
Photo: Red lentils in a dish, Yuvalif / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Banglanews24
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