With Pohela Boishakh just two days away, the sale of ilish has increased, but high prices are making it difficult for buyers. While the cost of ilish remains high, vegetable prices are also on the rise.
Although prices dropped during Ramadan, they are steadily increasing now, with vendors predicting further hikes in the coming days.
A visit to a Mirpur 1 kitchen market in the capital on Friday revealed the following prices:
Ilish is being sold at Tk650 to Tk2,800 per kilogram, depending on size, weight, and quality. An ilish weighing 350 grams is priced at Tk650, an ilish weighing 600 grams is priced at Tk1,300, an 850-gram ilish is priced at Tk1,800, a one-kilogram ilish (cold storage) is priced at Tk2,000, and a one-kilogram ilish (without cold storage) is selling for Tk2,800.
Other fish prices include rohu at Tk450-500, katla at Tk400-600, bele fish at Tk600-1,600, kalibaus at Tk400-600, shrimp at Tk1,000-1,400, kanchki fish at Tk400, koi (farm-raised) at Tk250-1,200, pabda at Tk500-700, barbel fish at Tk400-1,200, tengra at Tk600-800, boal at Tk600-1,000, shol at Tk700-1,000, chital at Tk600-1,000, sorputi at Tk300-400, kajli at Tk1,300-1,400, batasi at Tk1,300-1,400, and rupchanda at Tk800-1,400 per kilogram.
Regarding the price of ilish, vendors said that ilish is always expensive, and the price has not increased due to Pohela Boishakh.
They also mentioned that the quantity of fish sold on Friday has increased compared to normal days.
An ilish vendor, Idris Ali, said: "I used to sell ilish along with other fish, but for the past few days, I have not been selling it due to its high price. People cannot afford to buy it and I end up at a loss."
On the other hand, Mahfuzur Rahman, a customer buying ilish, said: "I do not usually buy ilish because of the high prices. But for Pohela Boishakh, I bought two 500g ones for home.”
He added: “The price is still as high as usual—does not seem to have increased just for the festival. Even when I do not buy, I check the price whenever I come here.”
Another customer, Harun ur Rashid, said: "The price of fish is quite high in the market. It is not only ilish, but other fish are also expensive. Also, it is unclear how true the claim is that fish from rivers are sold at higher prices."
Vegetable prices on the rise
Since Eid, vegetable prices have been steadily rising, and this Friday was no different. Most vegetables became more expensive, with vendors blaming the lack of rainfall and warning that prices may go up further.
The following are the prices of vegetables on Friday: Tk70 per kilogram for sour tomatoes, Tk50 for local carrots, Tk80 for beans, Tk90 for long brinjals, Tk80 for white round brinjals, Tk100 for black round brinjals, Tk50-80 for cucumbers, Tk 80 for ucche, Tk80 for bitter gourds, Tk160 for sweet bitter gourds, Tk60-70for papayas, Tk60-70 for radishes, Tk100 for okra, Tk100-120 for moringa, Tk80 (hybrid) to Tk140 (local) for pointed gourds, Tk80 for snake gourd, Tk90-100 for sponge gourds, Tk120 for luffa, Tk90 for yardlong beans, Tk80 for taro stems, Tk120 for taro roots, Tk30 for pumpkins, Tk80 for green chilies, and coriander leaves at Tk160 per kilogram.
Depending on the quality, each pumpkin is being sold for Tk80, bottle gourd for Tk60, cauliflower for Tk60, and cabbage for Tk50. Additionally, each bunch (hali) of green bananas is being sold at Tk30, and each bunch of lemons is being sold at Tk60-70.
Compared to last week, tomatoes have increased by Tk20 per kilogram, beans by Tk20, long brinjals by Tk10, sweet bitter gourds by Tk20, snake gourds by Tk10, sponge gourds by Tk 10-20 and luffa by Tk20. Similarly, coriander leaves have increased by Tk40 per kilogram, and cauliflower prices have gone up by Tk10 per piece.
However, the prices of cucumbers have decreased by Tk10-20 per kilogram, radishes have decreased by Tk10, moringa has decreased by Tk30, local pointed gourds have decreased by Tk20, and long beans have decreased by Tk10. The prices of other vegetables have remained unchanged.
Vendor Mohammad Shah Alam said: "The price of vegetables has risen due to the lack of rainfall. When it rains, vegetable production improves, and prices go down. However, excessive rain can damage vegetables and cause prices to rise again."
Asked whether vegetable prices would rise further, he said: "There is a risk that prices will go up in the future. If that happens, we will face losses as sales will decrease. We hope prices do not rise further."
Market-goer Habibur Rahman said in frustration: “The prices of all vegetables are going up again just like before. Most vegetables now cost more than Tk70 or Tk80. Things were quite manageable during Ramadan. Now, we will just have to wait and see what happens next.”
Prices of onions and ginger also increased
Currently, new crop onions are selling for Tk40-45 per kilogram, and local onions are priced at Tk45-50 per kilogram. Smaller onions are sold at Tk45, while larger onions cost Tk50 per kilogram.
White potatoes are priced at Tk25 per kilogram, and red potatoes are also Tk25. Potatoes from Bogra are selling at Tk30 per kilogram.
This Friday, the price of new local garlic is Tk120 per kilogram, Chinese garlic is Tk220, Chinese ginger is Tk200, and Indian ginger is Tk140.
Compared to last week, onion prices have decreased by Tk5 per kilogram, while the prices of Chinese ginger and Indian ginger have increased by Tk20 per kilogram.
The price of red potatoes has increased by Tk5 per kilogram, and the price of new local garlic has gone up by Tk20. On the other hand, the price of Chinese ginger has decreased by Tk20 per kilogram. Apart from these, the prices of other products have remained unchanged.
Regarding the rise in onion prices, a vendor said: “The onions currently in the market are grown from seeds. The ones that came earlier were sprouted from old onions. That’s why those were cheaper. The current ones can be stored for a long time without rotting, so their prices are a bit higher.”
Chicken prices down, egg prices up
Since Eid, the price of chicken has started to decrease, and this trend still continues. On the other hand, although egg prices had increased, they slightly decreased this Friday.
This Friday, beef is priced at Tk800 per kilogram, and mutton is sold at Tk1,200 per kilogram. Regarding poultry, broiler chicken is priced at Tk175-190 per kilogram, cock chicken at Tk255-270, layer chicken at Tk310, and local chicken at Tk620-630 per kilogram.
Farm red eggs are sold at Tk115 per dozen, while white eggs range from Tk105 to Tk110 per dozen.
Compared to last week, broiler chicken prices have decreased by Tk15-20 per kilogram, cock chicken by Tk30-35, layer chicken by Tk5, and local chicken by Tk10.
Similarly, the price of both red and white eggs has decreased by Tk5 per dozen. Besides, the prices of beef and mutton remain high and unchanged.
Prices of grocery items unchanged
In Friday's market, the price of small lentils is Tk135 per kilogram, thick lentils are Tk110, large mung lentils are Tk140, small mung lentils are Tk170, kheshari lentils are Tk100, boot lentils are Tk120, masoor lentils are Tk190, dabli is Tk60, chickpeas are Tk100, cashew nuts are Tk1650, pistachios are Tk2700, walnut is Tk1220, raisins are Tk600-700, cinnamon is Tk520, cloves are Tk1400, black pepper is Tk1300, white pepper is Tk1600, cumin is Tk600, packaged pulao rice is Tk150, and loose pulao rice is being sold at Tk110-130 per kilogram, depending on the quality.
Additionally, bottled soybean oil is Tk175 per litre, loose soybean oil is Tk157, packaged sugar is Tk120, loose sugar is Tk115, a 2-kilogram packet of flour is Tk150, a 2-kilogram packet of atta is Tk115, and loose mustard oil is being sold at Tk190 per litre.
