Brinjal prices soar by 100-120pc in a day

Yasir Wardad | Published: June 29, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Prices of some varieties of brinjal, widely consumed in Ramadan, have increased by 100-120 per cent within a day Saturday, a day or two before the holy month.
The government's ban on export of five agricultural produces - cucumber, brinjal, coriander leafs, lemon and chilli - made no impact on the market. Prices of all these produces increased significantly ahead of Ramadan, market observers said.
'Beguni', fry of brinjal slice mixed with besan (pulse powder), is almost an obligatory item for the fasting people across the country. The popularity of 'beguni' every year causes a hike of brinjal in Ramadan, some times for real shortage in its supply. But most of the times the price hike takes place, as the traders concerned want to make some windfall profit, market watchers said.
The prices of round brinjal varieties, like Ausha or Dhopa and Taal, soared to Tk 80 (at Nowabganj Bazar) - Tk100 (at Hatirpool Bazar) per kg Saturday, which were Tk 45-50 on Friday morning, marking 100-120 per cent increase in a day.
Prices of other brinjal varieties soared to Tk 50-60 per kg in a week, which is also a cent per cent hike.
Visiting various kitchen markets, including - Banalata Market, Azimpur Chhapra Masjid Market, Hatirpool Market, Nowabganj Bazar and Karwan Bazar, in the city Saturday it was found that consumers were buying some selected items, like - brinjal, cucumber, coriander leafs, lemon, ginger, onion in a huge quantity.
"By Friday evening, most of the retailers were able to finish selling their brinjal and cucumber. Customers bought three to four times more volume of brinjal than their usual purchase," a retailer at Chhapra Mashjid Bazar said.
He said: "I bought per palla or five-kg of Ausha brinjal at Tk 225 on Friday morning from Karwan Bazar wholesale market. It soared to Tk 350 per palla on the same evening there and Tk 380 per palla on Saturday morning."
Md Abdul Latif, president of Karwan Bazar Kanchamal Arat Baboshayee Samity, an association of wholesale traders of agricultural produces, told the FE that the prices of the brinjal varieties that witnessed hike are of earlier harvest.
"The Ausha brinjal harvest begins from the second week of July, so its price is higher in June. Some other varieties are now available in the market, and their prices are much lower compared to that of Ausha or Taal varieties," he also said.
"Prices of most of the vegetables have increased mainly due to recurrent spells of downpour recently. I think the price hike has no correlation with the month of Ramadan."