Hartal, rain affect kitchen mkt sales

Heavy rains triggered by late monsoon coupled with hartal pushed down sales noticably in the kitchen market, traders said Monday.

Poor presence of customers both in wholesale and retail markets caused price fluctuation, retailers said.

The country witnessed three hartals in the last five days.

Following the depression in the sea and movement of late monsoon, the country is witnessing rain for the last four days. And Met office said rain will continue for the next few days.

Mojammel Hossain, a vegetable wholesaler at Rayer Bazar in the city, said that agro products entered the city normally due to changes in hartal timing.

"But the number of buyers decreased by 30-40 per cent following the hartals and rain," he said.

He said prices of vegetable reduced at the wholesale, but it is higher at retails.

"Retailers are buying lesser amount of produces from us following poor presence of customers. The less they will buy from the wholesale, the more they would charge from common consumers," he said.

Traders said prices of many vegetable items increased by Tk 4-5 per kg in the last two days at the retail when the price decreased in the wholesale by Tk1-2 per kg.

Md Ashfaq Ali, a retailer at Banalata Kancha Bazar under Newmarket area, told the FE that sale dropped by 30-40 per cent in last three days.

"I've failed to sell even five kg of brinjal till today noon when I normally sell more than 15-16 kgs," he said.

Brinjal was sold at Tk55-60 (round) and Tk35-40 (long) per kg on the day at retail-Tk5 increased in last two days.

Aminul Islam, a wholesaler at Karwan Bazar, said the number of retailers from distant places of the metropolis and its adjacent areas declined resulting in low sales.

"I was able to attract only two customers early in the morning today," he said.

He said prices of most of the vegetables are stable (or reduced) in the last three days due to normal supply chain.

Md Abdul Latif, president of Karwan Bazar Kanchamal Arat Baboshayee Samity, an association of the traders of agricultural produces, told the FE that many of the traders are sitting almost idle due to poor presence of buyers.

Vegetables remained unsold that are causing unbearable losses to small scale traders, he said.

Meanwhile, prices varied from market to market due to fluctuation in the wholesale prices, according to the accounts given by the retailers.

At Bonolata market, Sponge gourd sold at Tk45 per kg which was Tk35-40 at Nowabganj Bazar, Tk35-36 at Karwan Bazar (retail), Tk 40 at Mohammadpur Krishi Market while the same item was sold at Tk28 and Tk 30 at Karwan Bazar and Rayerbazar wholesale respectively.

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