Amid soaring prices of garlic and ginger in recent weeks, consumer rights watchdog DNCRP has identified a wide gap between the retail and wholesale rates of the spices in the city markets as the key reason. The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has found even higher prices at the groceries.

The gap between Shymabazar wholesale and other markets like Karwan Bazar is Tk 50-70 a kg, said a DNCRP official.

The price of garlic increased to Tk 130-160 a kg and ginger Tk 140-180 a kg in the city’s different retail markets, marking a 20 per cent hike in a week and 35-40 per cent in a month, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and city groceries.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), ginger production was only 82,000 tons and garlic 0.52 million tons in fiscal year 2021-22 (FY ’22). Garlic production showed a 20-22 per cent increase in the last five years, but ginger remained almost stagnant during the period, the BBS data showed. According to the commerce ministry, 90 per cent of the demand for ginger is met through imports while it is 40-50 per cent in case of garlic.

[ Tk 100 = €0.89 ]

Source: thefinancialexpress.com.bd