Spices get pricier

Dhaka, Nov 6 — With Eid-ul-Azha right around the corner, spices have become pricier even though traders claim that the prices have 'gone down.'

Customers are alleging that the traders had hiked up prices before Eid-ul-Fitr and have been at it again in just two months ahead of another festival.

Dhaka's wholesale spice market at Moulvibazar was seen at its peak during a visit on Saturday—all spices except cardamom were being sold at higher prices than the rates three months back.

A top representative of the traders' grouping blamed it on the tariff regime.

"We have to pay high taxes to import spices. So they are being smuggled in," Moulavibazar businessmen association chief Mohammad Enayetullah told bdnews24.com. "Cardamom and Cumin are being smuggled the most so their prices have gone down."

"High taxes on spices hike our costs. But some rogue businessmen smuggle in spices making the market unstable."

He pointed out that spice traders recently held a press conference in Chittagong demanding that the taxes be reduced.

WHOLESALE PRICES

A visit to Moulvibazar on Saturday showed that cardamom was being sold at Tk 1,200-2,000 a kg, cumin at Tk 440, cinnamon at Tk 240, clove at Tk 1,450, white pepper at Tk 1,280, black pepper at Tk 860, nutmeg at Tk 1,200, prune at Tk 550, dried grape Tk 260, pistachio at Tk 620 and black cumin at Tk 1,000.

In just three months, nutmeg costs Tk 500 more for a kilogram; clove is by Tk 550.

During last year's Eid-ul-Azha, cardamom was sold at Tk 2,100-2,400, cumin at Tk 340, cinnamon at Tk 180, clove at Tk 600, white pepper at Tk 620, black pepper at Tk 380, nutmeg at Tk 580, prune at Tk 600, dried grape Tk 260, pistachio at Tk 520 and black cumin at Tk 850.

"The spice market is dependent on the international market," argued Enayetullah. "We are having to sell at prices lower than our costs due to the smuggling."
FROM:bdnews24.com