Dhaka, Aug 15 (UNB) – Essentials like sugar, green chili and pulses seemed to be on a gambol as the city market is yet to mind government’s contingency measures like duty cuts and planned TCB-run rationing operations.

A market survey shows prices of essential items in the retail markets in the capital still on an upturn as businesspeople eye a buying binge ahead and during the upcoming Ramadan.

The installed blackboards as price charts of 24 essential items in the city’s 27 kitchen markets demonstrate a disobedience by retailers regarding the set prices as of today (Saturday), a UNB correspondent reports after his visit to different marketplaces.

Most of the traders are also not following government directive for displaying wholesale and retail rate charts at each shop.

At Hatirpool Bazaar, the rates written on the blackboards by Dhaka City Corporation supervisors and the actual prices being charged by the shopkeepers do not tally.

The sale prices at the shops are much higher than the price indices scribbled on the DCC boards. Sugar price was declared Tk 44 per kilogram on the price board, but at shops it was selling at Tk 50-52 at the bazaar today (Saturday).

Non-canned soybean-oil price was written Tk 74 per litre but was sold at Tk 77-80 and green chili was fixed at Tk 70-74 but sold at Tk 110-115 per kilogram. Shop-owners said the blackboard price is not real picture of the market.

The city-corporation authorities were writing the price on the blackboard without any observation of the wholesale prices.

On the other hand, Rafiqul Islam, a consumer, said the retailers in different markets sold essential commodities at different prices as there were no effective monitoring activities at all.

On Saturday, prices of green chili increased unusually and other essential commodities, including sugar, onion, potato and edible oil, maintained uptrend during the last week. Prices of various grades of rice remained stable but that of vegetables increased.

The price of sugar, used for making sherbet for iftari by all fasting people, made a mark through a high jump to Tk 50-52 today from its yesterday’s price of Tk 45-46 per kg.

Besides previous tax-cut measures, the government Friday withdrew duties on sugar and dates. Green chili was selling at Tk 110-115 against the previous price of Tk 50 per kg in the city's retail markets. Tomato was selling at Tk 80 per kg.

The price of potato shot up last week and was selling at Tk 27-28 today against its previous price Tk 26 per kg.

Besides, prices of pulses and ginger maintained upward trend at the retail level. The local and imported varieties of pulses were selling at Tk 96-115 against the previous price Tk 70-94 per kg.

Similarly, ginger was selling at Tk 72- 80 which was Tk 65-Tk 70 per kg. At the retail level, Chhola (gram) prices shot up to Tk 50-55 from last week’s Tk 44 per kg.

According to retail traders in the city's different rice markets, prices of fine varieties were stable today but nazirshail witnessed a rising trend. Minicate was selling at Tk 30-32, Pari at Tk 24 while Nazirshail was selling at Tk 33-38 on average.

Imported Indian onions were selling at Tk 20-22 per kg. But a kilo of local onion was selling at Tk 40. Non-brand edible oils such as palm oil, super palm and soybean were selling at Tk 75-80 while two- litre canned edible oil was selling at Tk 175 on average.