A file photo shows a vendor working at a shop in a city market. Prices of red lentil, broiler and coarse salt rose further on the city markets over the week. — New Age photo

Prices of red lentil, broiler and coarse salt continued to rise on the retail markets in the city over the week ending Friday.
Onion and garlic prices also went up over the week.
Prices of some of the vegetables also went up over the week and the prices of most of the vegetables remained high on the city markets.
Traders said red lentil price had gone up due to supply shortage and a price hike of the commodity on the international market.
‘Supply of red lentil to the local market largely depends on the import from the international market. The price of red lentil in Nepal went up to over $950 a quintal now,’ Bangladesh Dal Byabsayee Samity president Shafi Mahmud told New Age.
Besides, he said, the transport cost had increased and the country had also produced less amount of red lentil this year.
Trading Corporation of Bangladesh latest data showed local red lentil and Nepali red lentil price had increased to Tk 100 to Tk 105 a kilogram and Tk 105 to Tk 110 a kg from Tk 96 to Tk 100 a kg and Tk 100 to Tk 105 a kg respectively last week. The prices of both the varieties had increased by Tk 5 a kg in the week before last week.
The data showed that the price of local red lentil had gone up by 10.81 per cent and that of Nepali red lentil by 10.26 per cent in a month.
Broiler was selling at Tk 155 to Tk 160 a kg on the city’s Khilgaon and Hatirpool kitchen markets on Friday. The broiler price was Tk 145 to Tk 155 a kg last week, said retailers and consumers.
Packed coarse salt price went up by Tk 2 a kg over the week and was selling at Tk 16 to Tk 18 a kg at Karwan Bazaar in the city on the day.
‘The price of salt increased by Tk 5 to Tk 6 in a kg in a month and the dealers are now saying that the price will increase further,’ said Md Shahidul Islam, a grocer at the market.
Fine grade of packed iodised salt was retailing at Tk 26 to Tk 30 a kg.
The salt price increased on the markets mainly due to price hike in raw-salt, labour cost and transport cost, Bangladesh Salt Mills Owners’ Association former president Paritosh Kanti Saha said.
He also said that the less availability of salt on the local markets had pushed up the raw-salt price.
The price of onion went up by Tk 4 a kg over the week and was retailing at Tk 24 to Tk 28 a kg.
Both local and imported garlic price increased by Tk 10 a kg and each kg of local garlic was retailing at Tk 50 to Tk 60 and each kg of imported garlic was retailing at Tk 80 to Tk 100 on the city markets.
The price of edible oil remained unchanged over the week. Unpacked super palm and soya bean oil were retailing at Tk 118 to Tk 120 a kg and Tk 128 to Tk 130 a kg. Bottled soya bean was retailing at Tk 650 to Tk 660 each a 5-liter bottle.
Coarse rice, like past week, was selling at Tk 27 to Tk 34 a kg, medium grade rice at Tk 35 to Tk 38 a kg and fine grade rice at Tk 42 to Tk 52 a kg in city’s Madartek and Khilgaon on Friday.
Green papaya marked a sharp rise on the city markets and was retailing at Tk 40 to Tk 50 a kg at Khilgaon, Madartek and Hatirpool on the day. The price was Tk 32 to Tk 36 a kg last week.
Like past week, bitter gourd, cucumber, aubergine and snake gourd were retailing at Tk 30 to Tk 32 a kg, Tk 20 to Tk 24 a kg and Tk 30 to Tk 36 a kg and Tk 40 a kg respectively.