Prices of green chilli increased further at the city retail markets as it soared to Tk 250-300 a kilogram (kg) on Wednesday, augmenting woes of the consumers who had already been hit hard by rising costs of other essentials, including rice, vegetables and key spices.
Traders said that green chilli prices have shot up because of a supply shortage following damage of the crop by the more than two-month-long flood.
Md Hasan, a vendor at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said green chilli prices rose abnormally in the last three days and it witnessed a four-fold hike in the last couple of months.
He said price of the produce even soared to Tk 300 a kg at wholesale markets like Karwan Bazar and Rayer Bazar- Beribandh on Monday evening from Tk 170-180 per kg earlier amid the supply crunch.
However, it was traded at Tk 190-220 a kg at wholesales on Wednesday and Tk 240-300 at retails in different places of the city, he added.
T M Rashed Khan, assistant director at the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM), said green chilli prices got higher due to prolonged flood in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Manikganj, Bogura and other chilli producing hubs.
He said most of the chilli fields in Jamalpur and Sirajganj districts have been inundated by floodwater.
A data of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) showed green chilli on over 8,000 hectares of chilli fields have been damaged by the deluge so far which is equivalent to almost one third of summer output.
Bangladesh produces 0.14 million tonnes of green chilli annually.
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