The sudden increase in fuel price has increased the prices of daily essentials within a week. Traders say that the increase in oil prices has increased the cost of Transportation. As a result, prices of everything from vegetables have increased.

The prices of broiler chickens have gone up to Tk 40 in various markets of the capital on Friday. Although chicken was being sold from Tk 160 to Tk 165 a kg even a week ago. Along with broiler chicken, the price of Pakistani cock up to Tk 300 to Tk 320 per kg, which was Tk 280 to Tk 300 last week.

Regarding the price of chicken, a trader said that the price of broiler chicken was already high. Oil prices rose last week and now those prices have risen further. Wholesale broiler chicken prices are increasing every day. He said that if it continues like this, within a few days, the price of broiler chicken may become Tk 250 per kg.

Along with broiler chickens, the prices of farm chicken eggs have increased unusually. A dozen eggs of farm chickens is now sold at Tk 145 in the market. Meanwhile, each piece of egg is being sold at Tk 13 in grocery stores. A dozen farm eggs costed Tk 120 to 125 a week ago. Besides, the price of all kinds of vegetables has increased. However, the price of green chilies has decreased slightly.

Regarding the increase in the price of eggs, another trader of Karwan Bazar said that the price of chicken has increased abnormally in the last few days. The effect of increase in the price of chicken is falling on the price of eggs.

Looking around the vegetable market, beans are being sold at the highest price in the market. 250 grams of beans are being sold at Tk 50. However, if someone buys one kg, 190 rupees is kept. Last week, 250 grams of beans were sold at Tk 40.

Along with beans, the price of ripe tomatoes has increased. Ripe tomatoes which were sold at Tk 80 to Tk 100 per kg last week are now being sold at Tk 100 to Tk 130. And carrots are being sold at Tk 120 to Tk 130 per kg like last week. Barabati is also being sold at Tk 70 to 80 per kg like last week. However, the price of cucumber has almost doubled. It was sold at Tk 40 to Tk 50 last week and now being sold at Tk 70 to Tk 80.

Besides, brinjal is being sold at Tk 50 to Tk 70 per kg, kakarol at Tk 50 to Tk 70 per kg, raw papaya at Tk 20 to Tk 25 per kg, potol at Tk 40 to Tk 50 per kg. Kachur lati, jinga, chichinga are being sold for 40 to 50 taka per kg. A kg of bitter gourd is being sold at 60 to 80 taka. The price of these vegetables has increased by Tk 10 to Tk 20 per kg within a week.

Regarding the price of vegetables, a trader in Karwan Bazaar said that the price of almost all vegetables has increased compared to last week. The main reason for this is the increase in oil prices. Due to increase in oil prices, the cost of transportation has gone up a lot. Which has affected the price of vegetables. If the price of oil had not increased, the price of all vegetables would have been lower by Tk 10-20 per kg.

Although the prices of eggs, chicken and vegetables have increased, the prices of onions and potatoes have remained unchanged over the week. Onion is being sold at Tk 45 to Tk 50 per kg like last week. A kg of potato is being sold at Tk 30. However, the price of green chillies is being sold at Tk 200 to Tk 220 a kg, which has gone up to Tk 300 last week.

It has been seen in the fish market that a kg of roe fish is being sold at Tk 320 to Tk 450. Tilapia, pangas fish are selling for 160 to 190 taka per kg. Horn fish is selling for 350 to 460 Tk per kg. 200 to 250 taka per kg of fish. A kg of Pabda fish is being sold for Tk 350 to Tk 500. The price of these fish has increased from Tk 10 to Tk 40 per kg within a week.

Hilsa is also on the list of price increase. One kilogram of hilsa is being sold at Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,800, which was Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,300 last week. A kg of hilsa weighing 700-800 grams is being sold at Tk 900 to Tk 1,000, which was Tk 700 to Tk 800 last week. And a kg of hilsa weighing 400-500 grams is being sold at Tk 700 to Tk 800, which was Tk 450 to Tk 500 last week.

Country's both the bourses, Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) today plunged further due to mainly price fall in large-cap securities.

DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), slid 65 points, or 1.01 per cent, at 6,413 at the end of the day. The DS30, the index that consists of blue-chip companies, went down 0.93 per cent to 2,277, while the DSES, the Shariah-complaint index, plummeted 0.80 per cent to 1,406.

Turnover at the DSE dropped 3 per cent to Taka 1,297 crore which was Taka 1,343 crore on the previous day.

At the DSE, 26 stocks advanced, 153 declined and 182 did not show any price movement.

Bangladesh Monospool Paper Manufacturing topped the gainers' with an 8.64 per cent rise. Fine Foods, Rahima Food Corporation, Eastern Cables, and Eastern Lubricants also advanced over 5 per cent.

Apex Foods suffered the highest correction, sliding almost 13 per cent. Far East Knitting, BDCOM Online, Navana CNG, and Apex Spinning declined more than 9 per cent.

The CASPI, the all-share price index of the Chattogram Stock Exchange, decreased 164 points, or 0.86 per cent to end at 18,895.

Of the issues on the port city bourse, 34 advanced, 104 declined, and 80 remained unchanged.

- BSS

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved six projects with Tk 7,018 crore.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday (October 11).

The premier joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence here while ministers, state ministers, planning commission members and secretaries concerned were connected to it from the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

After the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan gave details in the press conference.

thousand 362 crore 63 lakh will come from the government funding, Tk 2 thousand 386 crore 48 lakh from foreign funding and Tk 269 crore 62 lakh from the organization's own funding. 

The remittance inflow sinks to lowest in seven months. The inflow of remittance dropped around 25% in September to $1.54 billion compared to August earnings. 

Bangladesh received $2.04 billion in remittances in August, according to central bank data published Sunday (2 October).

The total remittance inflow in the current financial year is $5.67 billion, which was $5.41 billion during the same period last year.

According to experts, the cost of living for expatriates increased due to global inflation. Additionally, they are preferring hundi over legal remittance channels as they are getting Tk5-6 per dollar more than the bank exchange rate.

They had expressed concern that the Hundi channel may become more active. 

Remittances dropped to a seven-month low in September as the central bank fixed the dollar exchange rate for inward remittance. Bangladesh received a lower remittance of $1.49 billion last February.

Bankers said the downfall happened after, on the advice of the central bank on 12 September, the banks fixed the dollar exchange rate for remittances at Tk108.

However, bankers had initially feared that remittances may decrease due to fixing the exchange rate. The exchange houses said that the remittances came in less in the first week after the rate was fixed as remitters could not be given higher rates. 

A visit to the website of several exchange houses including Moneygram and Western Union shows that they are paying Tk106-107 per dollar for remittance inflow. However, the houses also charge $1-2 as transfer fee. 

As a result, those who send remittances in small amounts do not get an average rate of more than Tk104-105 a dollar. 

At present remittance through Hundi yields Tk113-114 per dollar. Due to fixed exchange rate at banks, the difference between dollar price of Hundi and the banking channel is at least Tk6-7. 

Overall exports declined by 7.52% in September this year compared to the same period in 2021 after 13 months of recovery from COVID pandemic, according to the latest official figures.

But exports of readymade garments reached 10.27 billion dollars in the first quarter of FY2022-23, which is 13.41% higher than previous year’s corresponding time, according to data released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) for July-September.

Knitwear exports, however, declined by 9%, while woven declined by 5.66%, it said.

BGMEA Director Md. Mohiuddin Rubel said on Sunday that BGMEA had already shared early indication of growth slowdown from September onwards, which is apparently reflected in export data for September. 

The global retail market is disrupted by many challenges starting from post covid container freight and supply chain crisis, price hike of raw materials, and then anticipated recession in the global economy, which is halting retail sales and demand for clothing, he said. 

Rubel said buyers were following cautious steps to make their inventory and supply chain optimum, so some of them are even holding back production and orders. 

“Altogether it has been quite a fluid and vulnerable situation, where we have all the strengths and possibilities to grow given our sustainability and competitiveness strides, yet the global economic outlook makes it difficult to foresee something bright for the final quarter of the year 2022,” he added.

- UNB