Prices of green chilli shot up by 50-60 per cent in a day due to heavy rainfall that disrupted supply and damaged many farms in the chilli-growing hubs, traders said.
Green chilli price reached Tk 100-110 (hybrid) and Tk 120-130 (indigenous) per kg in the kitchen market on Wednesday, which was Tk 60 and Tk 80-90 per kg respectively on Tuesday, according to the retailers in the city's kitchen markets.
Kamal Ali Shekh, a retailer at Nowabganjbazar told the FE, that the continuous rainfall in the last couple of days damaged chilli fields in the different parts of the country and so the prices of the items increased.
"I've bought hybrid chilli from Karwan Bazar wholesale at Tk 98 per kg in the Wednesday morning, which was Tk 72-74 per kg on a day before," he said.
Morshed Ali, a trader at Rayer Bazar wholesale in the city said per truck (nearly 12 tonnes) chilli from Bogra cost Tk1.0 million on Wednesday, which was just Tk 0.54 million two days back.
"The prices of green chilli usually increased in the rainy season", he said.
Md Abdul Latif, president of Karwan Bazar Kanchamal Arat Baboshayee Samity, an association of wholesale traders of the city said that many of the vegetable prices have gone down after the Ramadan.
"Chilli price also decreased significantly, but recent rain has caused price rise," he said.
Md Latif said apart from many summer vegetables, prices of tuber crops, those grow well in rainy season, are now cheaper in the market.
When contacted, MD Chan Miah, a farmer at Guzadia Union of Kalimganj upazila in Kisoreganj district, said chili plants (indigenous variety) at his 30 decimals of land have been ruined by rain recently.
He said chilli collection in his village has reduced significantly for the last few days and the produce is being sold at Tk75-80 per kg in his village.
He said the normalcy of production may return with beginning of sunny days.
According to the state-run Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the country's chilli production was nearly 0.249 million tonnes last year.
