Prices of onion have dropped slightly in Dhaka following an increase in supplies due to imports and new production. At Karwan Bazar, the imported varieties were being sold between Tk 120 and 180 a kg on Friday. Older production of the local variety were priced at Tk 220 a kg and new arrivals at Tk 160.
Abdur Razzak Khan, a wholesaler at Shyambazar market, said prices of imported onions dropped by up to Tk 10 a kg on Thursday after supplies increased last week. The wholesale price was Tk 200 a kg for local onion while imported onions were being sold between Tk 95 and Tk 175. “The prices are dropping on news that big consignments are arriving in two days,” Razzak said.
The government has been flying in onions from abroad while encouraging import to tackle the price hike which has gripped the market for over two months. Meghna Group, which is among the firms that have moved forward to help the government tackle the situation, imported 780 tons of onion from Egypt through Chattogram port on Thursday, its Deputy Managing Director Asif Iqbal said.
He said 900 tons more will arrive by Dec 9 and sold through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. The TCB is offering a limited amount of onion at Tk 45-50. City Group General Manager Biswajit Saha said they were expecting a consignment of 2,500 tons on Dec 4.
Meanwhile, prices of winter vegetables at the kitchen markets in Dhaka have dropped as well by up to Tk 10 a kg. Retailers at Agargaon, Mohakhali and Karwan Bazar said they were selling radish, bean, beet, tomato, and yardlong bean between Tk 30 and Tk 100.
[ Tk 100 = €1.07 ]
