Bangladesh News

Four days of torrential rain caused an inadequate supply of vegetables to the kitchen markets in the capital pushing the prices very high ahead of the Ramadan.

Wholesalers said the supply of vegetables decreased as harvest was not possible due to the sudden rainfall across the country.

The prices of green chilli, aubergine, cucumber, palwal, jhinga, papaya, bitter gourd, pumpkin, kakrol, long beans, tomato, and other vegetables almost doubled in some cases.

The price of green chilli jumped to Tk 70 per kg from Tk 20-25 in the retail market while the price of aubergine rose to Tk 40-60 per kg from Tk 15-20.

Tomato, the price of which was around Tk 50-55 per kg in retail markets two or three days ago, is now selling at Tk 65-70.

Cucumber that sold at Tk 15-18 per kg is now selling at Tk 24-30.

Palwal is being sold for Tk 14-20; the price was only Tk 10-12 before the spell of rain.

The price of jhinga has shot up to Tk 24-28 per kg in retail markets from Tk 15-18.

Bitter gourd and kakrol, which were available for Tk 15-16 and Tk 10-12 per kg, are now selling at Tk 24-28 and Tk 24-26.

Long beans are now being sold at Tk 28-32; earlier, the price was Tk 18-20 in retail markets.

The prices of various kinds of leafy vegetables have also increased significantly.

The prices of egg and potato, which had already seen a significant rise, shot up further. Potato was selling at Tk 24 per kg while egg was selling at Tk 60 per dozen.

Wholesalers at the Karwan Bazar kitchen market told The Daily Star that the supply of vegetables against the need has decreased significantly as harvest was not possible due to the torrential rainfall.

Retailers at different local markets complained that skyrocketing prices of daily essentials at wholesale markets have forced them to increase the prices.

The prices of fruits and dates have also shot up with the Ramadan beginning today.

Different varieties of dates were selling at retail shops between Tk 60 and Tk 400 per kg. The prices ranged between Tk 40 and Tk 250 last Ramadan.

UNB adds: Thirty-five mobile courts will be in operation in the capital to keep the prices of essentials stable during the Ramadan.

State Minister for Communications Salahuddin Ahmed told parliament on Thursday that the home ministry will monitor the activities of the mobile courts.

He said the government has already started selling essentials like sugar, pulses, soybean oil and onion through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at a “reasonable price”.

The TCB is ferrying the items in 20 mobile trucks in Dhaka, four in Chittagong, and two each in Khulna and Rajshahi, the state minister told the House.

Steps have also been taken to keep the banks open at ports, particularly at the Benapole land port, on holidays to facilitate unloading of consumer goods during Ramadan, he said.

The rationing programme began on September 12 and will continue until October 17. Some 350 open market sale dealers in Dhaka, 40 in Chittagong, 25 in Khulna and 25 in Rajshahi have been employed for this operation.

The Fisheries Development Corporation and Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation will also take measures to increase the supply of fish and vegetables across the country.

CAB MEETING
Speakers at a meeting of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) on Saturday said extortion at different points of highways has caused the continued price spiral of essentials.

Extortions, allegedly by the police in most cases, constitute 45-68 per cent of the total transportation cost from any part of the country to the capital, they said.

The speakers observed that the measures taken by the government to rein in the prices of essentials are ineffective as they are mainly town-centred. Moreover, the government is also not taking any punitive measures against the hoarders, they said.

The CAB meeting demanded action against the syndicates that are controlling the commodity markets, creating equal opportunity for all importers, checking extortion and activities of the middlemen across the country, and immediate legislation of the Consumer Right Act.