Prices of soybean oil went up by Tk 12 and palm oil by Tk 14 a litre in the retail market within a span of 15 days, and traders accused a syndicate of the market manipulation. Some spices and essentials were also turning costlier everyday because of this syndicate, traders at different retail market alleged.

Soybean oil was sold at Tk 55-60 and palm oil at Tk 48-52 a litre in the retail market yesterday. Retail oil prices are Tk 2-3 more than the wholesale market ones but vary market to market.

Denying allegation of manipulation, wholesalers at Moulavibazar in the old Dhaka blamed it on the crisis in the Middle East.

"The international market price for edible oil went up in the last week for the war in Lebanon and unrest in the Middle East," a wholesaler told The Daily Star yesterday.

Among the spices, prices of cumin, cinnamon and clove are on the rise, retailers said. The cumin was found selling at Tk 180-190 a kg in the wholesale market yesterday, prices of which was Tk 160-170 10 days ago.

The cinnamon is selling at Tk 108-110/kg although it was available at Tk 75-80 a week back. Cardamom sells at Tk 320-440/kg from Tk 300-400 and clove at Tk 500- 540 from Tk 420-440.

Among other imported items, prices of some juices, pulses and milk powder also went up significantly, traders said.

The pulse, Tk 48 a kg 10 days back, is now on offer at Tk 70 while a juice item, Tang, has been hiked by Tk 20.

Mohammad Enayetullah, managing director of Messers Hedayet Brothers and also former president of the Moulavi Bazar Merchant Association, said the prices of spices soared as unrest escalated in Iran, Syria and Lebanon, from where a good quantity of spices are imported.

However, traders said some local businessmen's syndicate cashed in on the slight rise of prices in the international market.

"We cannot control prices as this syndicate compels us to purchase these items at much higher rate than it should be," a retailer at Karwan Bazar said.