Prices of vegetables, particularly green chilli, increased significantly on Saturday in what traders ascribed to days of rain that hits many districts.
Heavy downpour was lashing over the country for the last few days, overflowing rivers and inundating vegetable fields, they said.
Green chilli prices climbed to Tk 150-180 a kilogramme (kg) on Saturday which was Tk 120-140 on Friday.
It was sold at Tk 70-90 a kg even a day before.
The Department of Agricultural Marketing data showed chilli prices witnessed an 80-110 per cent hike in the last one week across the country.
Cucumber, long bean, seasonal eddo, snake gourd, ridge gourd, pointed gourd, teasel gourd, ash gourd, bottle gourd and clocasia stem prices rose by Tk 5.0-15 a kg.
Pointed gourd, snake gourd, ridge gourd and teasel gourd sold at Tk 50-60, bitter gourd at Tk 60-70, local bean at Tk 55-60 a kg in the retail market.
Jillur Rahman, a vendor at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said vegetable prices have increased much at Beribandh and Karwanbazar wholesale markets in the past two days.
"We bought chilli at Tk 700 per palla or five kilograms today. The price might rise further," he hinted.
Mr Rahman said prices of most vegetables have increased by Tk 40-Tk 60 per palla in the last two days.
Karwanbazar wholesaler Rafiqul Alam said the supply has been disrupted by downpour that hit vegetable fields in places like Narsingdi, Cumilla, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Bogura, Manikganj, Gazipur, Dhamrai, Savar, Dohar and Nawabganj.
Summer vegetables are vulnerable to waterlogging, he told the FE.
When asked, Mr Alam said the cost of imported chilli has also increased as flood hit the key Indian chilli-exporting provinces like West Bengal, Bihar and Assam.
Chilli imports have remained almost halted for the last seven days, he added.
"We've got only 20 tonnes of imported chilli in the last one week. Cost has surged to Tk 11,000 a tonne from Tk 4,200 per tonne last month."
About flood damage, Department of Agriculture Extension director general Dr Mir Nural Alam said they would publish agricultural losses within a short period.
Monsoon rain might bring good luck for Aman farmers if it does not prolong inundation, he added.
"Heavy rainfall and flood might hit vegetable fields in some low-lying districts," the official told the FE.
However, the Met office in its 72-hour forecast said light to heavy rainfall might occur in most parts of Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions.
According to the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, 13 rivers were overflowing and 10 others were near the danger mark on Saturday.
The condition might deteriorate further in the next twenty-four hours, it predicted.
