CHATTOGRAM: The prices of chicken and date shot up further ahead of the holy month of Ramadan causing concern among customers in the port city.

Though the prices of the items including chickpea, sugar and soya bean oil witness a sharp rise every year, the situation is different this year.

Md Foyez Ahmed, a trader of the city’s Reazuddin Bazar, said broiler chicken was sold at Tk 230 while sonali at Tk 330 and the local one at Tk 520 a kg last week.

The price shot up due to an increase in price of poultry feed, electricity bill and transport fare, he said adding that a fall in supply of local ones is one of the main causes of the price hike of the item.

On the other hand, the price of date, one of the items having high demand on iftar table, marked a sharp rise.

Proprietor Ahsan Ullah Zahedi of Al Madina Trading of city’s Khatunganj, one of the largest wholesale markets of the country, said dates were being sold at Tk 130, Tk 280 and Tk 720 per kg of the variety of Jahedi, Mariam and Algerian respectively on Wednesday.

The price of the items was Tk 85, Tk 190 and Tk 500 last year, he said.

On the other hand, Ahsan, who is also a wholesaler of chickpea, said price of the item has reduced comparatively ahead of the Ramadan.

They were selling the item of different quality at Tk 76 to Tk 85 per kilogram on Wednesday. The price was higher even in the last month, he said.

The trader said that import of a huge amount of chickpeas from India has led to a fall in price. Manager of ‘Sree Matri Bhandar’of the market Subhra Dey Sunny said the price of Khesari was ranging from Tk 68 to Tk 71 a kg while the lentil at Tk 88 to Tk 116 a kg on Wednesday.

The price was stable over the last few weeks and comparatively reduced, said Sunny.

He also observed that the turnout of customers ahead of the Ramadan is thin compared to the previous year.