Fish, chicken among other essentials go up before Ramadan

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, the prices of chicken, fish, and meat have increased in the market. Additionally, the prices of lemons, cucumbers, and eggplants have also risen, reports Prothom Alo. 

However, the prices of staple Ramadan items such as dates, chickpeas, chira (flattened rice), muri (puffed rice), and jaggery have remained stable.

These inflated prices of essential items were observed on Thursday during visits to Shewrapara, Mohammadpur Agricultural Market, and Town Hall Market in the capital.

According to traders, with just two to three days left before Ramadan and the end of the month approaching, consumers are purchasing more, leading to increased demand. Since supply is unable to keep pace, prices for some items have risen.

Market observations show that the price of broiler and Sonalika chicken has increased by 10-20 taka per kg over the past week. On Thursday, broiler chicken was selling for 200-210 taka per kg, up from 180-200 taka the previous week. Similarly, the price of Sonalika chicken rose to 280-310 taka per kg. Sellers noted that as Ramadan begins, consumers tend to buy chicken in larger quantities, causing prices to surge.

Alongside chicken, beef and mutton prices have also increased. Beef was selling for 750-800 taka per kg, slightly higher than last week’s price, while mutton saw a 100 taka per kg hike, reaching 1,200 taka per kg. Goat meat was priced between 1,050-1,100 taka per kg.

The prices of farmed shrimp, koi, shing, tilapia, rui, and pangash fish have also risen, with increases ranging from 20-50 taka per kg.

Meanwhile, the prices of potatoes and onions have remained stable. Potatoes are selling for 20-25 taka per kg, while onions are priced at 40-50 taka per kg. 

Price of  Ramadan essentials 

With Ramadan approaching, the demand for lemons, eggplants, and cucumbers has increased, leading to a sharp rise in their prices. A market visit revealed that the price of lemons has nearly doubled over the past 15 days. Two weeks ago, four regular lemons were sold for 20-40 taka, whereas they were priced at 40-80 taka yesterday.

Large lemons are now selling for around 100 taka. Similarly, eggplants and cucumbers have also become more expensive. Eggplants are currently being sold for 45-65 taka per kg, hybrid cucumbers for 50-60 taka per kg, and local cucumbers for 80-100 taka per kg, which is 10-20 taka higher than last week’s prices.

Despite price hikes in vegetables, staple Ramadan products such as dates, chickpeas, muri, jaggery, and chira have remained stable. This year, before Ramadan, the government reduced duties and taxes on date imports, leading to increased supply.

As a result, the price of dates has dropped by 20-200 taka per kg over the past month. Similarly, the price of chickpeas has decreased by 15 taka per kg, now selling at 105-115 taka per kg.

The prices of chira, muri, and jaggery have remained the same. Depending on quality, chira is being sold at 70-80 taka per kg, sugarcane jaggery at 140-180 taka, date jaggery at 250-300 taka, and muri at 80 taka per kg.

Meanwhile, the supply of bottled soybean oil in the market remains scarce. A visit to three markets in Dhaka found only a few shops with limited stock. Consumers complained that while they could buy other products at increased prices, they had to visit multiple shops to find soybean oil.

Farhana Yasmin, a housewife from Mohammadia Housing, said, “I couldn’t buy soybean oil even after ordering it from a well-known shop a week ago. Later, I was only able to get one litre after visiting several stores.”