The demand for spices, mainly used in cooking soared just a week ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha, the biggest religious festival of Muslims.
Onion, an essential kitchen item, was selling at Tk 85 to 95 per kg in the kitchen markets of the capital, which was sold at Tk 70 to 75 per kg a week ago. Similarly, cardamom was selling at Tk 1200 which was sold at Tk 800 in the kitchen markets per kg. Prices of garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and cumin also shot up abnormally in the kitchen markets across the country.
Traders have increased the prices of all kinds of spice just a week ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. Despite having enough stock, spice prices have started rising in a span of just a week – cumin, onion, cloves, pepper and cinnamon have become costlier.
Both wholesalers and retailers hiked the prices of ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin, turmeric and coriander and the low-income groups are bearing the brunt of this spike in prices.
According to media reports, though there is enough stock of spices to meet the demand of Eid festival, the traders are increasing the prices of spices to make extra profit.
Traders have increased the prices
of all kinds
of spice
just a week ahead of Eid-ul-Azha
In the absence of proper monitoring by the authorities concerned, some unscrupulous traders increase the prices of different commodities as demand rises ahead of different festivals.
Some traders said that the prices of almost all essential commodities have gone up and so prices of spices have also increased.
Apart from spices, prices of almost all daily essentials have shot up in the kitchen market, adding woes to the fixed-income people who are struggling to survive. Prices of sugar, flour, chicken, fish, cooking oil, and vegetables have gone up due to supply constraints caused by the latest global crisis.
A dishonest clique becomes desperate to pocket hefty profits holding the people hostage by illegal hoarding and storage and forming syndication ahead of every religious occasion like the holy month of Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul Azha every year. This unholy nexus of dishonest business people is engaged in creating instability in the market targeting the Eid-ul-Azha again like in the past.
If the government does not get tough on the organised thugs and syndicate is not broken, the prices of daily essentials including spice will not come down.
