Prices go up further in short time shopping
On the first day of curfew yesterday, the law enforcers did not allow vendors and shopkeepers to open any kitchen market in the city and after a span of 20 hours of curfew prices of essentials shot up in different kitchen markets.
The law enforcers warned vendors and shopkeepers of Hatirpul Bazar to shut their shops at about 11:00am. After the warning, they started preparing to close the market.
Besides, at Boubazaar and Nilkhet the law enforcers dispersed temporary bazaars, which were set up to meet the emergency requirements.
After 4:00pm when the curfew was relaxed and customers were allowed to shop, price of essentials was somewhat volatile. In the first hour of lifting of curfew the traders had been eager to finish the stock of perishable goods including vegetables, fish and meat by offering lower price, but during the later hours of curfew lifting the price of essentials shot up.
Though there was no shortage of supply at the wholesale markets, the local markets were selling at a higher price.
Raihan, a vegetable vendor at Hatirpul, told The Daily Star that they used to bring the vegetables at night from Karwan Bazar but as curfew was imposed since 8:00pm on Wednesday they did not dare to go to the market to buy the vegetables.
During visits to different city markets, including Hatirpul, Kathalbagan and Palasey Bazar, this correspondent found almost all the commodities, including vegetables, fish and meat, were selling at higher prices.
As soon as the curfew was relaxed at 4:00pm people poured into the bazaars. The buyers were not even bargaining as the relax hours were running out fast.
When curfew was relaxed, price of rice increased by Tk 1 to 2 per kg. Najirshail was selling at Tk 34, earlier the price was Tk 32. Miniket was selling at Tk 32, which had been at Tk 30. Jhinga was sold at Tk 30, which had been at Tk 26. Papaya was sold at Tk 16-18, which had been at Tk 12-14. Aubergine was sold at Tk 40, which had been at Tk 32.
Green chilli again experienced the maximum rise, earlier it was sold at Tk 80 but yesterday the price stood at Tk 140.
The situation in Karwanbazar was similar. Though supply was more than satisfactory at both the Karwanbazar and Jatrabari wholesale markets, traders from different localities could not come to collect their goods.
The trading at the fish market almost came to a halt, one pair of hilsa, which had been sold at Tk 1000,was sold at Tk 700 to 750 yesterday afternoon. At Jatrabari Arat (the largest whole sale market in Dhaka city), the fish traders were very disappointed, as they did not have many customers.
Shamim Kabir Bhuiyan, Jatrabari Bohumukhi Babsayee Samity secretary, told The Daily Star that traders from Meghnaghat, Narsingdi, Bhulta, Sonargaon, Madhabdi, Comilla buy fish from here and sell at the local markets. But due to the curfew, the traders could not come. Every day, the market sells worth Tk 50 lakh to two crore, while the trading stood at Tk 50 to 60 lakh yesterday.
The price of all sorts of vegetables, including papya, bitter gourd, potol, pumpkin, arum, potato, and aubergine, dropped in the afternoon. The price of vegetables fell Tk 2 to 4 per kg. Karwan Bazar's retail vegetable shops were selling bitter gourd at Tk 26, potol at Tk 24, papaya at Tk 12, potato at Tk 20 and arum at Tk 5.
Asadullah, a wholesaler of meat in the market regretted that since evening he could sell only 1 kg of mutton at Tk 220, "I sell upto Tk 10 to 12 thousand everyday...but still I expect to sell a lot as curfew has been relaxed".
However, at 5:00pm, as soon as the bazaar was teeming with customers the retailers raised the price of all vegetables by Tk 10. Aaubergine which had been Tk 23 per kg was sold at Tk 35 later, the green chilli became 120-140 from Tk 80, broiler chicken was sold at Tk 105 which was 90 to 95 per kg earlier.
Besides, at different places the law enforcement agencies allegedly stopped the trucks and beat up the drivers. Abul Bashar, a truck driver, who came from Rajshahi with vegetables, told that at Rajshahi bypass the law enforcement agencies forcibly brought down some truck drivers and assaulted them for driving in curfew.
"I started at 8:00pm and reached Dhaka at 2:30 am, usually some parties hire me for carrying goods and I leave Dhaka on the same day. But today, I failed to manage any return trip.How long will we endure this?" he said.
Comments