Desk Report: Though the prices of other essentials remained stable over the last two weeks, most spices used in meat recipe went up by Tk 20 to Tk 000 per kg on average as Eid approaches, reports Asian Age. The price of cardamom mostly used in cooking meat to add flavour saw a sharp rise. Sources said prices of all kinds of spices have increased by Tk 20 to Tk 000 per kg during the last two weeks.
Prices of other spices including cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg and cloves have risen by Tk 20 to Tk 60 per kg.
Every year, ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the demand of spices gets higher compared to other times of the year as people purchase items like cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper and cloves for cooking meat.
The spices are imported from different countries of the country as these are not produced locally. According to sources in the commerce ministry, there are over 400 spice importers across the country. Of them 70 percent spices are imported by only 72 importers.
There is a sufficient stock in the market. But syndicate has created an artificial crisis. As a result, the prices of the items have increased over Tk 50 to Tk 020 per kg in the last one week.
The imported best quality cardamom is being sold at Tk 0,500 per kg which has increased by Tk 000. The price of Indian cumin has increased by Tk 50 on per kg which is now being sold at Tk 320 per kg. However, cumin imported from Syria and Turkey is costlier than Indian brand.
The imported cumin is being sold at Tk 360 to 400 per kg. Haji Mohammad Enayetullah, President of Bangladesh’sSpices Traders Association, a platform of spice wholesalers, said country’s spice market depends on imported items. In recent times, most of the spice prices have increased in the global market. The growing price is taking toll on the wholesale markets.