Green vegetables and fruits became pricier in the city last week, raising woes of the consumers in the month of Ramadan.
However, prices of other commodities remained static on Friday.
Traders attributed the hike to the persisting rain, causing damage to vegetable fields in many districts.
According to market observers, middlemen have a hand in raising the prices of green vegetables.
Different brinjal varieties sold at Tk 60-Tk 90 per kilogram, pointed gourd, tomato, snake gourd, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd and cucumber at Tk 60-Tk 80, local bean at Tk 60 in the kitchen markets on Friday. The prices were up by Tk 10-Tk 15 in seven days.
Green chilli rose to Tk 60-Tk 100 a kg at the retail level from Tk 50-Tk 80 earlier.
Ilias Ali, a vendor at Jhigatola, Dhanmondi, said vegetable prices have been showing a rising trend for weeks at the wholesale level.
Wholesale prices of vegetable rose by Tk 8.0-14 a kg on Thursday compared to last week's rates, he added.
Mizanur Rahman Swapan, a Karwanbazar wholesaler, told the FE that supply has been disrupted by heavy rain in Narsingdi, Cumilla, Rangpur, Bogura, Gazipur, Dhamrai, Savar and Dohar.
However, the data of the Department of Agricultural Marketing shows vegetables were selling rates higher by 60-266 per cent in Dhaka than those at the farm level.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh President Golam Rahman said shady traders and middlemen bank on natural disasters to earn extras at the cost of the public.
Round-the-year market monitoring is needed to ensure reasonable prices of food items, he told the FE.
Seasonal fruits like mango and litchi have already hit the market. They were selling at much higher rates than last year's.
Apart from Indian varieties, local Himsagar and Lengra mangoes were available on the market.
Local varieties were selling at Tk 100-Tk 160 a kg and imported Indian varieties at Tk 80-Tk 120 a kg.
Litchi from Pabna, Narayanganj and Gazipur were selling at Tk 400-Tk 450 per bunch of 100 pieces.
Newly-arrived blackberry is selling at Tk 200 a kg.
Prices of summer guava and star apple increased by Tk 20 in a week to Tk 100-Tk 140 a kg.
Foreign fruits like grape were selling at Tk 400-Tk 480, apple (green) at Tk 180-200 a kg in the market- up by Tk 20-Tk 40 in a week.
Traders said most of the shops had no orange as it is off season in the exporting countries.
