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The Financial Express

Prices of some vegetables, potato high in Dhaka's kitchen market

| Updated: April 19, 2021 15:58:52


Focus Bangla file photo Focus Bangla file photo

Some green vegetables and potato became pricier further last week following their higher demand in Ramadan.

Traders, however, have attributed the ongoing coronavirus lockdown to supply crunch.

Rice, edible oil, fish, onion and sugar prices remained static maintaining their previous high while broiler chicken prices showed a slight decline.

Brinjal, cucumber, tomato, coriander leaf and green chilli prices witnessed a significant hike last week which traders attributed to low supply amid rising demand in Ramadan.

Brinjal has been selling at Tk 80-100 a kg, cucumber at Tk 70-110, tomato at Tk 35-50 and coriander leaf at Tk 200-250 a kg for the past four days.

Potato prices showed a hike of Tk 5.0 a kg as granola and cardinal varieties were selling at Tk 24-25 a kg while local red variety at Tk 32-35 a kg.

But summer vegetables like snake gourd, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, sponge gourd, long-yard bean and colocasia stems were selling at Tk 60-80 a kg.

Green chilli prices increased by Tk 20-30 a kg as sold at Tk 80-100 a kg.

Vegetable retailer Habibur Rahman at Zakir Hossain Road in Mohammadpur said supply of vegetables like cucumber and brinjal declined in the wholesale market which has caused a hike in prices.

"I bought hybrid cucumber at Tk 65 a kg and desi variety at Tk 83 from Karwanbazar on Friday morning."

"I'm selling hybrid variety at Tk 70-75 while desi cucumber at Tk 90-100 a kg," Mr Rahman added.

The retailer said a few wholesale shops had brinjal and cucumber on the day.

Moshiur Rahman Babla, a grocer at Jafrabad in West Dhanmondi, said potato prices witnessed a hike of Tk 4.0-5.0 wholesale ahead of the fasting month.

Jamal Uddin, a vegetable wholesaler at Sadeq Khan Agricultural Market in Rayerbazar-Beribandh area, told the FE that the demand for few vegetables usually increases many fold during Ramadan.

They are bringing a low volume of vegetables as the number of customers has declined by 60-70 per cent in the past one and half weeks, he said.

The wholesaler said transport costs have also increased by 40-50 per cent as truck and pickup owners are overcharging amid inadequate return trips.

Many seasonal vegetables might decline in prices in coming days if the lockdown prolongs as farmers would be forced to sell those at throwaway rates.

However, rice of coarse variety was sold at the previous high of Tk 48-52 a kg, medium at Tk 56-60 and finer at Tk 66-82 a kg.

Meanwhile, prices of broiler and sonali/Pakistani chicken showed a decline by Tk 10-20 a kg.

But desi indigenous chicken remained the same as sold at Tk 480-550 a kg.

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