The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has said that commission agents, known as aratdars, are manipulating vegetable prices, contributing to the overall price spiral in the market.
The DNCRP has pointed out that wholesalers, dealers and retailers, in collusion with these agents, are driving up the prices of essential commodities, including vegetables.
This observation came following the directorate's ongoing market monitoring efforts, said a DNCRP release on Sunday.
Recently, the government has formed a special taskforce to stabilise the prices of essential commodities and ensure a steady supply.
As part of their routine operations, DNCRP officials, in collaboration with the taskforce, supervised markets across all divisions and districts of the country, including Dhaka metropolis.
The monitoring team inspected prices and supplies of various goods such as vegetables, eggs, broiler chickens, potatoes, pulses, onions, garlic, ginger and edible oil.
On Saturday, six teams operated in the Dhaka Metropolitan area, with raids conducted in Karwanbazar and Banani Kitchen Market by Abdus Salam, assistant director at the Dhaka Divisional Office of DNCRP.
During the operation, it was observed that vegetable trucks arrive from different parts of the country around midnight.
The vegetables then pass through at least 6 to 7 intermediaries before reaching the wholesale stage.
The DNCRP reported that about 1,200 illegal traders, known as farias, operate in Karwanbazar without proper business registration or documentation.
Evidence from the raids indicated that aratdars, in cooperation with traders at all levels, are artificially inflating vegetable prices.
On Saturday, the DNCRP fined five persons Tk 88,000 for illegal trading and price manipulation in Karwanbazar.
In Banani Kitchen Market, it was found that several traders who had been allotted shops by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) were renting out their spaces for Tk 25,000 to Tk 36,000 instead of operating their own businesses.
This illegal subletting of shops has contributed to the rising prices in the retail market. As a result, eight companies were fined Tk 0.19 million on Saturday.
The DNCRP conducted raids in 36 districts across the country, deploying 42 teams.
A total of 87 businesses were fined Tk 0.44 million for various reasons.
The DNCRP said that such operations will continue to safeguard consumer rights, the release reads.
Meanwhile, prices of certain vegetables saw a minimal decrease of Tk 10 a kg though they remain high.
Brinjal was sold at Tk 100-120 per kg, while snake gourd, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, colocasia stem, eddo and pointed gourd were retailed at Tk 80-100 a kg on Sunday.
Bottle gourd was priced at Tk 70-100 per piece and tomatoes at Tk 280-300 a kg.
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