Coronavirus Outbreak: Rice, Oil, Pulse Prices Rise

The prices of rice, pulse, edible oil and flour have increased in the city kitchen markets on Friday.

Supply crunch caused the scarcity of some grocery items in the capital during ongoing holidays due to coronavirus situations, said traders.

The price of loose soybean oil has increased to Tk 98 a liter from Tk 92-94 by a week, the price of loose flour (atta) increased to Tk 34-36 per kg from Tk 29-30 in a week.

Branded bottled and packet edible oil and flour prices remained unchanged and maintaining their previous high value. The price of the different quality pulse (Masur) has increased by Tk 5-15 per kg while the large grain pulse price was Tk 75-80 per kg medium grain pulse was Tk 100-110 and the small grain pulse was Tk 110-120 per kg in the capital.  The prices of loose soya bean oil increased to Tk 94 a liter at Moulvibazar wholesale market from Tk 88 even seven days back, sources said.

Meanwhile, different vegetables, onion, broiler chicken and farm egg prices witnessed a decline last week in the capital.       

Fearing lower sales and wastage traders declined the price of most of the vegetables in the kitchen market. The onion was sold at Tk 30-45 a kg, tomato at 20-40 per kg, bean at 20-40 per kg, eggplant at Tk 20-40, cucumber at 20-30 and carrot at Tk 20-30 per kg in the capital on Friday.         

Abdul Hakim, a vegetable trader at Mohammadpur said the vegetable price has declined at the growers’ level due to lower sales. He said due to lower sale they are also brought the lower amount of vegetables in the capital, added he.

As the shutdown over the novel coronavirus brings the country to a standstill and earnings for people of low income have almost dried up a thin number of consumers were seen most of the kitchen market on the day.

The rich people already have bought huge consumer goods with an apparent aim to stay home to avoid coming in contact with coronavirus for this customer also thin.