Tomato costs Tk 320 a kg!

The overheated commodity market shows no signs of abating as tomato prices increased to Tk 320 a kg on Friday, making this nutrition-rich vegetable beyond the reach of low-income groups.
A halt in the supply of local tomato and lower import are responsible for such an extortionate hike, according to market insiders.
Meanwhile, potato and brinjal also witnessed a sharp rise last week, much to the chagrin of commoners.
Tomato price shot up to Tk 290-320 a kg at retail level on Friday from Tk 240-260 on Thursday and Tk 220-250 seven days back.
The wholesale price was Tk 275-290 a kg in Dhaka city until Friday noon which was about to rise further.
Akram Hosain, a Shantinagar-based vegetable vendor, said wholesale price shot up to Tk 1,450 per five kg at Shyambazar on Friday. It was Tk 1100 a day back.
"I just brought 15 kgs as it would be tough to finish the product in a day as people would buy in less volume amid such sky rocketing price."
Jakir Ahsan Khan, a wholesaler at Sadeq Khan Agricultural Market at Rayerbazar-Beribandh area, told the FE that tomato supply decreased by 80 per cent amid low import as well as scanty supply of local variety.
He said tomato's import price shot up to more than Tk 200 a kg amid a notable surge in prices in India amid flooding in many states.
On June 25, the government permitted imports of green chilli and tomato to stabilise the local market.
Until July 13, more than 110 traders were allowed to bring 80,000 tonnes of tomato, but less than 500 tonnes could be brought due to higher import costs, a plant quarantine wing official told the FE.
He said both green chilli and tomato importers were hesitating to bring the produce fearing losses.
Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) asst secretary TM Rashed Khan said tomato mainly grows in Rabi season.
Summer production in Bangladesh is too little to mention, he added.
The local market is import-dependent from June to September as local cold storages are yet to be developed to such level so that a handsome amount of winter crop could be preserved.
According to Mr Khan, the local demand for tomato is more than 1,000 tonnes a day when availability is below 100 tonnes for now.
Data available with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics showed tomato production was 0.442-million tonnes in fiscal year 2021-2022 (FY22) of which above 98 per cent were produced in summer.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh vice-president SM Nazer Hossain, however, said import costs and city retail costs have a big difference, which should be minimised to give consumers some relief.
He demanded that in prices from the import level to city retail be strictly monitored.
"DAM should immediately fix potato prices from cold-storage gate to wholesale to retails levels like that of 2020 to prevent further volatility in the potato market," said Mr Hossain.

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