Chicken, vegetables go costlier

Prices of chicken and different types of vegetables have shot up in kitchen markets of the capital city.

On Friday, broiler chicken was selling at Tk140 per kilogramme, up Tk10 than the price a week ago.

Pakistani chicken and red layer chicken were selling at Tk240-250 and Tk210-220 a kg. Traders said the prices went up by Tk10-20 per kg than the last week's.

Meanwhile, prices of vegetables are also high even though various kinds of early winter vegetables are coming in the city markets.

One kilogramme of beans was selling at up to Tk100 at the Jurain market, while traders were charging Tk40-50 for a piece of cauliflower and cabbage.

"Can you imagine! It is absolute anarchy or the market is joking with people," Ahmed Ali, a private service holder who came to buy daily necessities from Jurain market, expressed his astonishment.

Poor people get panicked to come to kitchen markets now, he said.

The situation was similar at Gendaria and Hatirpool kitchen markets where pre-winter vegetables were also selling at high prices.

Beans, a popular local vegetable, was selling at Tk150 per kg whereas cauliflower and cabbage were selling at Tk40 to Tk50 apiece. Prices of other vegetables were also found high.

In retail markets, one kg potato was selling Tk20-25, green papaya, okra, pointed gourds, snake gourd and eggplant were selling at Tk40 to Tk60 on an average. The price of green chilli was Tk80-100 per kg.

Apart from vegetables, the prices of other essential commodities, including onion, garlic, continued the rising trend, putting additional strains on the consumers, especially the low and fixed income people.

Retailers were seen selling locally-grown onions at Tk60 a kg and imported onions at Tk50 whereas locally-grown garlic at Tk160 and imported items at Tk150 per kg.