Essentials’ prices jump after heavy rain in city

Heavy rain in Dhaka on Thursday night caused widespread flooding, disrupting essential markets and leading to a price hike of many essential items, including vegetables, spices and chickens.
The met office measured 116 millimetres (mm) of rainfall from Thursday evening to Friday morning, which was the second highest in the country. The weather office has forecast more rain, casting gloom on already pricier essentials.
Arifur Rahman Noyon, a resident of Buddhijibir Dhal area in Rayer Bazar, was buying vegetables on Friday morning.
"I bought brinjals at Tk 80 a kg on Wednesday. But today (Friday) it is at Tk 110," he said.
Noyon said fish prices had also increased in the market on that day, making it difficult for people with a limited income to buy all the required items.
The price of okra had risen to Tk 60 per kg, compared to Tk 50 per kg on Thursday morning, he said. Similarly, the price of green chillies surged from Tk 160 to Tk 200 a kg on Friday morning.
Traders said heavy rain inundated almost all lanes, roads and markets in the city on Thursday night, and it took ten to twelve hours for the water to recede.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 116 millimetres (mm) of rainfall from Thursday 6:00 pm to Friday 6:00 pm, which was the second highest in the country, following Dimla in Nilphamari with 149 mm.
The met office also predicted that rain and thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds might occur at most places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions, and at many places over Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, and Chattogram divisions, with moderately heavy to very heavy falls in some areas across the country in the next day, starting from Friday evening.
On Thursday night, kitchen markets such as Mirpur Sections 1, 6, 10, New Market, Karwan Bazar, Malibag, Jatrabari, Shyambazar, Jurain, Nowabganj Bazar and others in the city were inundated by rainwater.
Md Jakaria, a vegetable vendor at Dhanmondi 9, said heavy rain on Thursday night had disrupted vegetable supplies in the wholesale market on Friday morning, leading to a shortage and subsequent price increase.
He said pointed gourd was being sold at Tk 52-55 a kg at Rayerbazar-Beribadh wholesale market on Friday, compared to Tk 38-40 a kg on Thursday morning.
Akram Hossain, a vegetable wholesaler at Karwan Bazar in the city, said continuous rain in many districts had also kept farmers busy protecting their crops, further limiting the supply. He said 90 per cent of wholesalers were submerged under three to four feet of water on Thursday night. It took half a day for the water to recede, severely hampering trading.
On Friday, pointed gourd was being retailed at Tk 60-70 a kg, long-yard bean at Tk 90-100, bottle gourd at Tk 80 per piece, bitter gourd at Tk 100 per kg, papaya at Tk 50-60, and clocasia stem at Tk 90-110. Sponge, snake, ridge, and teasel gourds were priced at Tk 70-80 per kg, marking an increase of Tk 10-30 per kg.
The newly arrived early variety of country bean (sheem) was being retailed at Tk 220 to Tk 250 per kg, while cauliflower was at Tk 50 to Tk 70 per piece.
Chicken prices further increased by Tk 10-20 per kg, being retailed at Tk 190-200 per kg on Friday. Egg prices declined to Tk 12-12.5 per piece on the day, a change that traders attributed to the government's recent permit to import 100 million pieces of eggs through private channels.
The price of potatoes remained static at the previous high of Tk 45-55 per kg, against the government-fixed rate of Tk 36 per kg.
Sugar was priced at Tk 140 per kg, up from Tk 135 per kg, and bottled soybean oil was at Tk 174 per litre, instead of government-fixed Tk 169.

tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com