Brinjal price strikes all-time high

FE Report
Prices of brinjal shot up further, hitting all-time high on Friday, traders and officials said.
According to the traders of the city's major kitchen markets, while most of the vegetables increased in the last seven days, chicken meat prices showed downtrend.   
The long variety of brinjal, suitable for making fried item 'Beguni' hit a historic high and was sold at Tk 130 per kg at Eskaton, 110-120 at Hatirpool Bazar and Tk 90-110 per kg at Nowabganjbazar and Banalata Kicthen Market under Newmarket area against Tk 80-100 per kg seven days back.
Other varieties were selling at Tk 60-80 per kg in the kitchen markets  --  a Tk 10-15 increase in a week.     
According to data by the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), Friday's price of brinjal (Tk 110-130) is a record in the history of the country.
Traders said significant increase in prices at the farm level (caused by the hype of holy month of Ramadan) was responsible for the hike. They said rain also disrupted production in many areas, which caused the unusual hike.
However, many of the traders said fixing price of brinjal unnecessarily by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry representatives a week back also gave a big jolt to the brinjal market.
"Helal bhai (vice president of FBCCI) along with government officials came last week at midnight and fixed the price of brinjals at Tk 90 without considering the different varieties," a vegetable trader at Karwan Bazar in the city said.
"Long varieties and Ausha varieties were then selling at Tk 70-80 per kg while normal varieties at Tk 45-60 per kg but he (Helal) said the retailers should sell brinjal at Tk 90 per kg without mentioning any name of the particular variety," he said.      
"But the price hike of this week is not the consequence of the FBCCI's fixation -- rain and inadequate supply have caused the hike of few varieties" he said.
The FBCCI leaders recently announced that brinjal would be imported from neighboring countries to cope with the rising demand.
Onion prices showed ups and downs in the last seven days and were sold at Tk 42-45 (local) and Tk 36-42 (imported).  
The prices of most of the vegetables surged by Tk 5-10 per kg on Friday compared to that of its previous.
Bitter-gourd was sold at Tk80 per kg, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, long bean at Tk 50-55, okra at Tk 40-45 per kg on Friday.
Prices of pointed gourd, cucumber were seen static. Imported variety of ginger prices touched a record and was sold at Tk 250-280 per kg at few markets.
Local variety also maintained the higher range and was sold at Tk 160-200 per kg (local) on Friday. Chicken meat price showed a downtrend.
Chicken (broiler) prices reduced to Tk 150-155 per kg -- a Tk 5 reduction in seven days.
Chilli prices decreased last week compared to its previous, witnessed a hike again on Friday. Chilli was sold at Tk 100 (local) and Tk 80 (hybrid) per kg on the day - Tk 20 increase in a week.
Prices of other commodities were static on compared with those of the previous week.