CHANDPUR, Jan 06: A downtrend has been seen in the prices of almost all varieties of winter vegetables in the markets of the district town and on its outskirts for the past few days mainly due to their abundant supply.
The commoners, especially low-wage earners and fixed income-group people, are now heaving a sigh of relief as they can afford the vegetables due to low prices and ample supply, said Monir Hossain, a class III employee, and Mafij Mia, a mason.
It is learnt, winter vegetables grown in plenty in the char areas of the Meghna River in Chandpur Sadar, Haimchar and Matlab Uttar upazilas because of the high fertility in their land.
For the past few days, country boats and trawlers loaded with enormous supplies of green vegetables are being berthed in Chandpur town's busy and bustling Chowdhury Ghat. These vegetables are unloaded at Paler Bazar Vegetable Market where they are sold at wholesale rates from morning until night.
Some 150 retailers buy vegetables from there at wholesale rate and later sell them in the town's Paler Bazar, Natun Bazar, Puranbazar, Biponibagh Bazar, Wireless Bazar, and a few other small markets and adjacent areas.
In the late afternoon, when the stock of vegetables remains unsold at the wholesale markets, the small traders buy them and sell them at the busy roadside corners in the town at cheap prices until 11pm.
Low-income-group people, including women, can buy the fresh vegetables at the prices of their choice.
A market visit found that now the newly-harvested variety of potato sells at Tk50-55 per kg, radish sells at Tk20 per kg, carrot at Tk80 per kg, green chilli at Tk50 per kg, papaya at Tk20 per kg, brinjal at Tk 40 per kg, bottle gourd (medium size) at Tk50per piece, bitter gourd at Tk50 per kg, green banana at Tk30 per quartet, tomato at Tk50 per kg, cauliflower at Tk20 per piece, cabbage at Tk30-40 per piece and cucumber at Tk40 per kg. Onion price has also come down to Tk60 per kg from Tk100 per kg in the past few weeks. Garlic is selling at Tk190-195 per kg as against Tk220 per kg a few weeks back.
Lemon sells at Tk35-40 per four pieces, pumpkin at Tk40 per kg and coriander at Tk30 per kg. Prices of all types of leafy vegetables range from Tk20-40 per bundle.
Local farmers told this correspondent that this season, their land grew fertile due to silt accumulation from floodwaters which enriched soil and that is why bumper vegetable yield was found much to their joys.
Vegetables have grown abundantly in the char areas of Chandpur Sadar, Haimchar and Matlab Uttar upazilas.
The farmers said they have utilised every inch of their land for vegetable cultivation. They hope they are likely to get more profit from vegetable yield by spending less for their cultivation.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Chandpur, under a mega plan, vegetables were cultivated on 5,500 hectares of land across the district in the current winter season. And the total production target was set at 1,21,000 tonnes.
Highest 1,250 hectares of land were brought under vegetable farming in Matlab Uttar upazila, with yield target of about 27,500 tonnes.
Chandpur Sadar upazila saw vegetable cultivation on 1,000 hectares of land with production target of 22,000 tonnes.
Talking to the FE, DAE, Chandpur's officials Mobarak Hossain and Abdul Mannan said now many farmers are earning cash by selling their mature vegetables in the haats and bazars. And that is why prices of vegetables are down and within the reach of the common people.
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