Spice market heats up with Eid-ul-Azha approaching

Prices of spices have gone up due to a spike in demand ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of Muslims in Bangladesh.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 10 July 2020, 07:08 PM
Updated : 10 July 2020, 07:08 PM

Cinnamon, cardamom and cloves became costlier after the market started to heat up from the last week.The prices of some spices have increased by Tk 500 per kilogram.

However, the prices of onion, garlic, dry chilly and turmeric - the essential ingredients for preparing dishes in the festival - have dropped a little in Dhaka’s kitchen markets.

The price of cardamom has increased by Tk 200 to Tk 300 per kg, taking the wholesale market price of the ingredient to Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,200 per kg. The retailers are selling cardamom at Tk 3,000 to Tk 5,000 per kg.

Cinnamon was being sold at Tk 400 in the wholesale market and Tk 450 to Tk 500 in the kitchen market.

Wholesale market price of cloves is Tk 750 to Tk 800 and the ingredient is sold at Tk 1,000 in the retailer market.

“The number of orders from local traders across the country has increased as Eid looms. The prices rose as the stock is exhausting,” Abdul Matin, the owner of Aright Store at wholesale Kawran Bazar market, told benews24.com.

The price of cinnamon rose by Tk 100 per kg from the last week and the clove price has increased by Tk 50 to Tk 80 per kg, according to the retailer Khurshed Alam, the owner of Marzia Store in Malibagh.

Onion sold at Tk 40 to Tk 45 in Dhaka’s kitchen market on Friday. The current prices of garlic, turmeric and dry chilly are Tk 90-110, Tk 180-220, and Tk 250-320 respectively.

Such price hike ahead of Eid has become common in the country, burning a hole in the pockets of customers, particularly the low and middle-income group.