Price of sugar, both loose and packaged, increased by up to Tk 30 per kilogramme at different markets in the capital over the past couple of weeks.

Visiting different markets in Dhaka yesterday, this correspondent found loose sugar was being sold at Tk 150-160 per kg, up from around Tk 135, while packaged sugar was selling for Tk 150-180 per kg, up from Tk 140-150 a fortnight ago.

There was scarcity of packaged sugar in the market as several companies reduced their supplies in the past two weeks.

— Md Hasan A seller at Karwan Bazar

Trading Corporation of Bangladesh's data showed that sugar was retailing at Tk 145 to Tk 150 per kg in the city markets on Thursday.

Md Hasan, a seller of Bikrampur Store at Karwan Bazar kitchen market, said there was scarcity of packaged sugar in the market as several companies reduced their supplies in the past two weeks.

As a result, locally produced packaged sugar, which was sold at Tk 140 to Tk 150 two weeks earlier, is now being sold at Tk 170 to Tk 180, he said.

Ibrahim Khalil, a wholesale sugar trader at the market, echoed him.

Amid shortage in supply of sugar, those who kept supplying the commodity were selling it at higher price, he said.

A sack of 50 kg sugar was priced at Tk 6,200 last month. Yesterday, the same quantity was selling at Tk 6,900.

Shahidul Haque, a grocer at East Kazipara, said he stopped selling sugar after its price shot up as consumers would raise a lot of questions regarding the high price.

"I sold a kg of loose sugar at Tk 140 two weeks ago. Now, if I asked Tk 160 for the same sugar, customers would get mad at me," he added.