The vegetable prices have skyrocketed in the kitchen markets of the capital city after the late autumn rain across the country damaged fields.
Prices of most of the vegetable increased by Tk20 to 40 per kg selling at Tk 80 to Tk 120 per kg on Friday, reports UNB.
Traders and wholesalers of Karwan Bazar, the biggest hub of vegetable supply in Dhaka, told the news agency that early varieties of winter vegetables started appearing in the market but the vegetable fields went under water due to recent heavy rain.
As a result, vegetable fields were damaged in the neighbourhood of Dhaka, Narsingdi, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Tangail, Bogura, Jashore, and Kushtia, from where vegetables are mostly supplied to the capital.
Sukkur Ali, a wholesale trader of Karwan Bazar told the correspondent that usually 6 to 7 vegetable-loaded trucks arrived at his store everyday.
But after the recent rains the number of vegetable-loaded trucks arriving in the store decreased to 3 to 4, he said.
This shortage of supply is pushing prices up in the wholesale and retail markets, the traders said.
However, on Friday after visiting different kitchen markets this UNB correspondent observed that vegetables, fish, and broiler chicken and egg were selling high.
In this situation, the middle and lower-class families who come to the market get upset. Vendors say that not enough vegetables have arrived in the market yet, due to which the prices are relatively high. But with the coming of winter, this price will come down.
The eggplant was selling at Tk 120 per, brinjal (long) at Tk 90 to 100 per, green chilli at Tk 220 to 250 per kg based on quality, bean at Tk 200 per kg, tomato at Tk 100 to 120 per kg, carrot at Tk 100 to 120, potato at Tk 50 to 55, bitter gourd at Tk 80 to 90, balsam apple at Tk 100 to 120, okra at Tk 80 to 90, cucumber at Tk 80 to 90, spone gourd at Tk 80, arum at 80 to 90, radish at Tk 80, green papaya at Tk 30, French bean at Tk 100 to 120, snake gourd at Tk 80 to 95, pumpkin (medium size) at Tk 100 to 150 per piece, cauliflower at Tk 50 to 55 a piece, bottle gourd at Tk 70 to 100 per piece, ash gourd at Tk 60 to 70 per piece, coriander leaves at Tk 500 per kg, capsicum (red) at Tk 600 and capsicum (green) at Tk 400 to 450 per kg.
The local onion was selling at Tk 100 per kg, while the imported onion at Tk 80 to 90 kg. Imported garlic's price also rose and was selling at Tk 250 to 260 per kg, and local garlic at Tk 240 kg. Imported ginger marked a rise by Tk 30 per kg and was selling at Tk 260 to 280 per kg. The locally produced ginger was selling at Tk 200 to 250 per kg based on quality.
The price of red lentil remained high and the fine variety of red lentil was selling at Tk 150 per kg while the imported item (coarse variety) was selling at Tk 140 per kg over the week.
