Md Tarek Hossain: Prices of essential kitchen staples, particularly onions and bottled soybean oil, have seen a notable hike over the past two weeks. The financial strain on lower and lower-middle-income families is already exacerbated by elevated rice prices.
According to a market visit on Saturday across several retail markets in Dhaka, onion prices have gone up by around Tk 20 per kg in just two weeks, while the price of bottled soybean oil has increased by Tk 14 per litre.
Currently, onions are retailing between Tk 60 and Tk 65 per kg, compared to Tk 45-50 just after Eid. Vendors explained that onion prices had earlier dropped as low as Tk 30 per kg during peak season due to strong local yields. However, prices have steadily risen since Eid, with wholesale prices now ranging from Tk 54 to Tk 58 per kg.
A vendor at Mohammadpur Townhall Market said, "Since Eid, the wholesale onion price has been creeping up almost daily. Over the last two weeks, the retail price per kg has increased by Tk 20."
In a further blow to household budgets, new prices for edible oils came into effect on Tuesday. A one-litre bottle of soybean oil now costs Tk 189, up from Tk 175. The price of a five-litre bottle has jumped from Tk 852 to Tk 922. Loose soybean and palm oils are now retailing at Tk 169 and Tk 169 per litre respectively, both up from Tk 157.
Despite the surge in some essentials, there is a degree of relief in the meat and poultry market. Chicken prices, which had climbed sharply before Eid, have since come down. Broiler chickens are now selling for Tk 170-180 per kg, down from Tk 210-230. The price of Sonali breed chicken has eased to Tk 270-280 per kg from Tk 300-330.
Meanwhile, egg prices have remained stable for weeks. A dozen farm eggs are being sold at Tk 120-130, a range that has remained unchanged for about a month.
Though meat and egg prices have cooled, the sharp rise in staples like onions and oil remains a concern for households already facing mounting living costs.