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Special Correspondent/

By reducing the supply of sugar from mills, an artificial crisis has been created in the retail markets of the capital and Chittagong. As a result, sugar is not available in all shops in the market. Apart from this, although open sugar has been fixed at Tk 120 by the government, it is not available at that price, rather the few shops that are available are selling it at Tk 140.

Apart from this, onion is being sold at a maximum of Tk 70 per kg by increasing the price on various pretexts. In the space of a week, the price of ginger increased by 110 rupees per kg to 360 rupees. All kinds of vegetables are being sold at higher prices even though the supply is sufficient. The consumer is being forced to buy the product.

Such information was obtained after visiting several retail markets of the capital and Chittagong Chaktai-Khatunganj on Friday.

10 am, went to Nayabazar in the capital and found only 4 shops selling open sugar. The price is 140 rupees per kg. However, on Thursday, the government fixed the price of open sugar at Tk 120 per kg. Apart from this, at 12 o’clock in the afternoon, there was a shortage of sugar in Kauranbazar. It was sold in the market at 135-140 Tk per kg.

Kauranbazar grocery seller. Shah Amanat Ali said that there is no supply of sugar from the mill. The mill owners met with the government and increased the price of sugar to 120 rupees at the retail level, but they are not supplying sugar. It has created a kind of artificial crisis in the market.

Apart from this, the price of sugar in Chaktai-Khatunganj, the country’s largest consumer goods market, is not abating. These daily necessities are being sold at higher rates than the government fixed prices. 15 to 20 taka more than the fixed price is being sold. Mills cut sugar supply completely to create an artificial crisis. Despite the importation of sufficient refined sugar, there are plans to steal hundreds of crores of rupees from the market by this manipulation alone. Sugar is sold at Tk 124-125 per kg in the wholesale market but is being sold at Tk 140 at the retail level.

Traders in Chaktai-Khatunganj said that the sugar market has been held hostage by some syndicates based in Chaktai-Khatunganj. The syndicate is destabilizing the sugar market by creating an artificial crisis in the market. They are selling at a higher price than the fixed price.

Meanwhile, according to the information of Chittagong Custom House, 221 thousand 940 metric tons of sugar was imported through Chittagong port in the first 10 months of the current financial year. Due to complications in opening of LCs due to dollar crisis, sugar imports are slightly lower than last fiscal, but refined sugar imports are comparatively higher. The amount of which is 1 lakh 10 thousand 940 metric tons. As a result, the cost of refining sugar for the mill owners has come down, and customs has also collected the duty at 43 cents per kg.

On the other hand, the price of onion is increasing without any reason. The situation is such that it has increased by Rs 5 per kg almost every week and sold at Rs 65-70 per kg on Friday. Which was 60 rupees a week ago.

The seller of Nayabazar said. Ikramul said that the wholesale market is increasing the price. That’s why we are buying onion at extra price and selling it at extra price.

Shankar Chandra Ghosh, a wholesale onion seller at Sambazar, the capital’s wholesale market, said that there is no import from India. Because of that the supply of onion has decreased. So the price is a bit higher. However, demand is being met with native onions.

The traders of Khatunganj said that import of onion through Chittagong port has been stopped since last March. Besides, import of onion through land port is also stopped. So now we have to completely depend on desi onions. Onions are being brought from Pabna, Kushtia, Rajbari and Faridpur to meet the demand. As a result, the price of onion is increasing.

On the other hand, in the retail market, ginger is being sold at a higher price of Tk 110 per kg in the retail market of the capital. On Friday, local ginger was sold for Tk 350. Which was Rs 240 last week. And imported ginger was sold at 360 taka. Which was 280-300 taka earlier.

Meanwhile, on Friday, various markets of the capital were visited and it was seen that per kg potal is being sold at Tk 80, rinds at Tk 60, brinjal at Tk 80, shrimp at Tk 80, barbati at Tk 80, cockles at Tk 100, sweet pumpkin at Tk 40, papaya at Tk 80, bitter gourd at Tk 100, tomatoes 40 taka, Radish 60 taka and Cucumber is selling at 60 taka per kg. Apart from this, pumpkin is being sold at Tk 60 per kg, carrot at Tk 100 per kg, kachur lathi at Tk 100, gourd at Tk 80 per piece, green pepper at Tk 250 per kg.