Veggie prices soar in Dhaka kitchen markets

Abdul Malek went to Sukrabad kitchen market to buy vegetables, only to be shocked to find that a kilogramme of both okra and pointed gourd was selling for Tk 100.

Frustrated, he dropped both items from his shopping list.

"I bought each kilogramme of okra and pointed gourd for Tk 40-50 just two weeks ago," he told the shopkeepers angrily before leaving.

Sumaiya Begum, a small clothing shop owner, said she could afford only low-quality vegetables because of the recent price hikes.

"We are eating degraded vegetables. My children complain that I am not feeding them fresh ones, but I have nothing to say to them," she told this newspaper at the Shewrapara kitchen market.

The prices of low-grade vegetables have also risen, leaving her struggling to put food on the table.

"We are living on papaya and potatoes, which are still reasonably priced. I don't know what I will do next," she said.

Like them, many low- and middle-income residents expressed frustration over the rising prices, questioning why the government has been unable to control the kitchen markets.

During visits to kitchen markets in Shewrapara, Kazipara, Mirpur 11, Ibrahimpur, Sukrabad, Farmgate, and Karwan Bazar, this newspaper found most vegetables selling for Tk 80-100 per kg, with prices varying based on quality.

Omar Faruk, a vegetable seller at Sukrabad kitchen market, said traders are having to buy vegetables at higher prices from wholesale markets.

"But customers don't understand that, and they get angry when I tell them the prices," he said.

Earlier, he used to buy at least 10 kilos of each vegetable, but now he buys only five. "Even then, I can't sell them all."

He said he has stopped selling round eggplants altogether because of their skyrocketing price.

Wholesalers claimed that prices have surged over the past 15 days due to crop damage caused by excessive rains, which reduced supply in wholesale markets.

Saifur Rahman Chowdhury Sujan, general secretary of the Karwan Bazar Brihattar Paikari Kacha Bazar Arot Byabasayi Malik Samity, said, "The rain during the peak season damaged vegetables, lowering supply and driving up prices."

Locally produced onions are now selling for Tk 80-90 per kg, up from Tk 50-60 last month.

Although the ongoing monsoon is considered peak season for hilsa, prices of the popular fish remain high in the capital's markets.

Yesterday, hilsa weighing between 600 grammes and one kilogramme per piece was selling for Tk 1,400 to Tk 2,300 per kg.

Various naturally grown wetland fish, including spiny eels, flatheads, and shrimps, were priced at Tk 800 to Tk 1,200 per kg.

Farm-produced eggs are selling for Tk 135 to Tk 150 per dozen, up from Tk 135-140 a week ago.

Farm-grown Sonali chicken is selling for Tk 320 to Tk 350 per kg, while broiler chicken remains stable at Tk 160-170 per kg compared with last week.