Prices of essentials, including winter vegetables, are high in the wholesale and retail markets of the capital.
Traders and retailers say the supply of commodities, including rice and vegetables, has been disrupted because of unrelenting blockades. Trucks carrying goods have not been coming in to Dhaka from across the country, especially from the northern regions, amid frequent blockades, they said.
Since November 26, the BNP-led 18 party alliance has enforced four road, rail and waterways blockades across the country trying to pressure the government into postponing the election scheduled to be held on January 5.
Traders in Dhaka said, cross-country transportation costs had more than doubled as the few goods trucks that were plying on the highways during the blockade had started charging higher than usual.
They feared that the prices of essentials may rise further as another of spell of an 83-hour blockade is scheduled to begin at 6am today.
Md Omar Faruk, a rice wholesaler at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said the fare for a rice-laden truck used to be Tk12,000, but since the blockades it has gone up to Tk30,000.
“Which means we have to pay more than Tk106 per sack of rice for transportation,” he said.
“We are selling a 50 kg sack of miniket for Tk1,950, which was Tk1,850 before,” Faruk told the Dhaka Tribune at Krishi Market yesterday.
“We used to sell nazirshail at Tk2,150 per sack, but we now we have to sell them for Tk2,250.”
However, in Mohammadpur’s Town Hall Bazar, a retailer said: “We are selling nazirshail at Tk44 per kg now but if carrying cost was not high we could sell at Tk40 per kg.”
Winter vegetables, which should be available for cheap right now, like onion, tomato, bean, gourd and radish are still rather high.
Speaking to this correspondent, Delwar Hossain, a customer at the Krishi Market, said prices of every commodity in general was high.
Tomatoes are being sold at Tk60 per kg and red radish for Tk25 per kg while gourds are Tk40 apiece.
“I have bought a gourd for Tk40. It should not be above Tk20 at this time of the year,” Amzad Hossain, a college teacher, told this correspondent.
Prices of commodities, however, vary from one market to another. One kg of potato is Tk20 at Krishibazar but in the Townhall Market it is Tk25 per kg.
Retailers at Mohammadpur Notun Bazar claimed prices of fish, beef and mutton were stable there.
Ruhi fish is being sold at Tk260 per kg while Telapia is Tk200 per kg. Beef is being sold at Tk260 and mutton at Tk450. However, price of broiler chicken has gone up by Tk5 per kg. It is being sold at Tk140 per kg.
The prices of dry items, including edible oil and dal, have remained stable in the retail markets.