Egg prices drop slightly; chicken, vegetable remain stable

After weeks of soaring prices, egg prices in the capital's kitchen markets have dropped by Tk5-10 per dozen, while rates of chicken, vegetables, rice, and fish have largely remained stable, according to vendors.

Although Fridays usually see more crowds than other days, continuous rain reduced the number of buyers today (30 May), resulting in little price fluctuation. 

Market visits to Shahjadpur, Notun Bazar, and Badda showed that eggs were selling for Tk130-140 per dozen, down from Tk140-145 last week. A month ago, the price stood at Tk115-120.

Broiler chicken prices remained unchanged at Tk160-170 per kg, while Sonali chicken was selling for Tk260-280 per kg.

"Chicken prices typically drop before or after Eid-ul-Adha, and this year is no exception," said Jalal Hossain, a seller at Khilbarirtek. 

"Egg supply dips slightly during the monsoon, but even at current rates, farmers are barely breaking even. If prices fall further, they'll start incurring losses due to high production costs."

Vegetable prices showed little fluctuation, with pointed gourd, okra, snake gourd (chichinga), and ridge gourd (jhinga) priced between Tk40-60 per kg. Yardlong beans (borboti), taro stolons (kochur loti), bitter gourd (uchhe), and eggplant were selling for Tk60-80 per kg, while green chillies were priced at Tk80 per kg.

"Rain has affected both supply and foot traffic," said Masum Hossain, a vegetable vendor at Shahjadpur. "Many footpath vendors didn't open shop today, and it's tough to bring in fresh produce in this weather. That's why prices are largely stable."

Among other essentials, onions were selling at Tk55-60 per kg, potatoes at Tk20-25, local garlic at Tk120-140, and imported garlic at Tk180-240.

Rice prices steady

Rice prices also remained unchanged. Swarna was priced at Tk52–55 per kg; medium varieties like BRRI-28, BRRI-29, and Paijam were selling for Tk58-60, while finer varieties such as Miniket had dropped to Tk70-82 from Tk82-90 a month ago. Nazirshail was going for Tk80-90, and Basmati for Tk95 per kg.

Beef was selling for Tk780-800 per kg, while mutton ranged between Tk1,000-1,150.

Among fish, farmed Koi was priced at Tk300-320 per kg, Tilapia and Pangas at Tk220-250, Rui and Katla at Tk320-450, and Pabda at Tk400-500.