Gulam Rabbani :
Vegetable prices have gone up noticeably in the capital city after their supply dwindled in the last few days owing to the nationwide ‘strict lockdown’.
The government has imposed a ‘strict lockdown’ from April 14 so that the citizens refrain from coming in contact with persons infected with Covid-19.
The vegetable sellers at Gopibagh Rail Gate Kitchen Market said the prices have gone up due to low supply.
“I used to sell brinjals at Tk 50 to 60 per kg and now the same brinjals are being sold at Tk 70 to 80 per kg. Prices have increased due to the low supply of vegetables,” said Kanchan Miah, a vegetable seller of the Gopibagh Rail Gate Kitchen Market.
Cucumbers were being sold at Tk 60 to 70 per kg on Friday whereas the item was sold at Tk 40 to 50 per kg before the lockdown started from April 14. In some markets, cucumbers are being sold at Tk 80 to 90 per kg, said another vegetable seller of the market. Price of watermelon rose due to the identical reason. Watermelons are being sold in the market on Friday at Tk 50 per kg whereas the price was Tk 35 to 40 per kg before the lockdown. The prices of other vegetables are also very high although the prices of those items did not increase in the last one week.
Potato is being sold at Tk 20 per kg, tomato at Tk 30 per kg, radish at Tk 40 per kg, papaya at Tk 35 per kg, bean at Tk 40 per kg, carrot at Tk 60 per kg, green chili at Tk 60 per kg and bitter gourd at Tk 60 per kg.
Price of egg has been shoot up at Tk 90 per dozen whereas it was at Tk 70 per dozen last week. Sugar is being sold at Tk 70 per kg on Friday whereas it was sold at Tk 67 to 68 per kg before lockdown.
Layer chicken is being sold at Tk 190 per kg whereas its price was Tk 170 per kg before the lockdown. Price of Sonali Chicken has been decreased in one week. It was sold at Tk 330 to 350 per kg in the last week but now its price is Tk 280 to 300 per kg. Broiler chicken is being sold at Tk 150 per kg.
Mohammad Hashem, a chicken seller, said sale of chicken fell by minimum 50 percent during the lockdown period. It becomes very tough for me to maintain a shop of five staff with this low rate of selling, added the seller.
