<i>Vegetables dearer due to scant supply</i>

Prices of vegetables marked sharp rise in the last one month.Photo: STAR

Vegetable prices have increased significantly in the city kitchen markets in the last one month due to a fall in supply from the districts, wholesalers and traders said.
The wholesale price of most summer vegetables has increased by Tk 8 to 10 per kg.
Traders attributed the scant supply to rain and increased transport cost following the latest fuel price hike.
A month ago around 350 trucks carrying vegetables from different parts of the countries used to come to Karwan Bazar wholesale market every day. Now the number of trucks has come down to around 275, the wholesalers and truckers said.
Lutfor, a vegetable trader at Duaripara in Pallabi said, “Today I bought ridge gourd at Tk 22 a kg and I'm selling it at Tk 24. A month ago the price was Tk 12 per kg.”
The sale of vegetable also fell due to high price, he said.
Israfil Hussain while returning home from Rupnagar kitchen market after buying vegetables and fish on Thursday said he could not buy required quantity of vegetables for his family for the last few weeks due to high price.
“My budget is limited. But every kind of vegetables has become dearer,” he said. “Traders have increased the price on the excuse of scant supply.”
At Karwan Bazar and Mirpur Section-1 kitchen market, the wholesale price of bitter gourd is now Tk 24 per kg, snake gourd Tk 22, arum Tk 14, Indian zucchini Tk 22, eggplant Tk 20, okra Tk 20, string bean Tk 24 and pointed gourd Tk 22.
Ashikullah, a vegetable wholesaler at Karwan Bazar said a month ago bitter gourd was sold at Tk 12, snake gourd Tk 8, arum Tk 14, Indian zucchini Tk 13, eggplant Tk 5, okra Tk 7, string bean Tk 8 and pointed gourd Tk 14.
He said the price of green chilli has increased most in the last one month. “It was only Tk 6 per kg a month ago but now it is selling at Tk 55 a kg.
Ashikullah blamed reduction in vegetable supply due to rain and increased transport cost.
“Within a month, the supply has declined by more that one-fourth as vast tracts of vegetable fields have been damaged by rain. Moreover, transport cost has increased after the latest fuel price hike,” he added.
At present, a truck from Chapainawabganj or Rangpur are charging between Tk 13,500 and Tk 14,000 for a trip to Dhaka carrying vegetables, said Aminur, who supplies vegetables to Mohammadpur Krishi Market and Karwan Bazar.
Before the fuel price hike, the lorries usually charged Tk 9,000 for the same distance.