Economic Reporter :
Soaring prices of daily essentials are hurting low and middle-income families in the capital as they find it increasingly hard to pay for the same basic essentials amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials said prices have been on the rise over the last few weeks due to a shortage of supply as many farmers lost their produce to rain and flooding.
Eggplant of different qualities was selling at Tk 50-60 per kg, an increase by Tk 10-15 from a week ago. However, a few retailers were asking Tk 60 and above for a kg of eggplant on the grounds of offering better quality. Green chillis were selling at Tk 200, potatoes at Tk 30-35 and Brinjal at Tk 60-65 per Kg in the city’s kitchen markets.
“The rainfall and flooding in northern districts is to blame for the spike in vegetable prices,” said Mohsin Munshi, a vegetable retailer at Jatrabari kitchen market.
“Vegetables like papaya, bitter gourd, and snake gourd are sold for Tk 35 to Tk 60 per kg in retail markets,” he added.
“The prices of fresh produce fluctuate depending on supply. Prices of green chilli have risen due to floods in the country’s north,” said wholesaler Mohammad Ashraful Alam who was offering customers the vegetable at Tk 50 a kg.
Mohammad Kamal Hossain, another vegetable retailer at the market, was found asking Tk 50 for each kg of pointed gourd.
The DAM’s market investigator in Munshiganj, Shariful Islam, said most of the district’s low-lying areas, where vegetables are grown, went under water in recent weeks.
“In fact, vegetables are now being brought to Munshiganj from Dhaka’s Shyambazar. This has led to a shortage of vegetables in the markets of the capital,” he said.
According to data of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), floodwater in 10 northern districts has inundated crops, including vegetables, paddy and jute, on more than 12,000 hectares of land.
A senior DAE official said vegetable plants would be affected the most. “Plants would die if they remained submerged for a couple of days. This might affect vegetable production,” he noted.
The prices of rice and broiler chicken have also gone up by Tk 1 to Tk 20 per kg. Egg, a major source of protein, was selling at Tk 108 per dozen on Friday, up from Tk 102 a week ago.
Hot spices (garam masala) including cinnamon, cardamom, clove, cumin seed, bay leaf, garlic, coriander seed, ginger and turmeric and red chillies increased 5.0 to 26 per cent in last the week, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).
Cinnamon was sold at Tk 480-520 per kg from Tk 380-420 per kg a week back, clove at Tk 800-900 a kg from Tk 700-850 a kg. Cardamom prices reached Tk 3,500-3,650 a kg at retail which were Tk 2,800-3,200 a kg seven days back.
Soaring prices of daily essentials are hurting low and middle-income families in the capital as they find it increasingly hard to pay for the same basic essentials amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials said prices have been on the rise over the last few weeks due to a shortage of supply as many farmers lost their produce to rain and flooding.
Eggplant of different qualities was selling at Tk 50-60 per kg, an increase by Tk 10-15 from a week ago. However, a few retailers were asking Tk 60 and above for a kg of eggplant on the grounds of offering better quality. Green chillis were selling at Tk 200, potatoes at Tk 30-35 and Brinjal at Tk 60-65 per Kg in the city’s kitchen markets.
“The rainfall and flooding in northern districts is to blame for the spike in vegetable prices,” said Mohsin Munshi, a vegetable retailer at Jatrabari kitchen market.
“Vegetables like papaya, bitter gourd, and snake gourd are sold for Tk 35 to Tk 60 per kg in retail markets,” he added.
“The prices of fresh produce fluctuate depending on supply. Prices of green chilli have risen due to floods in the country’s north,” said wholesaler Mohammad Ashraful Alam who was offering customers the vegetable at Tk 50 a kg.
Mohammad Kamal Hossain, another vegetable retailer at the market, was found asking Tk 50 for each kg of pointed gourd.
The DAM’s market investigator in Munshiganj, Shariful Islam, said most of the district’s low-lying areas, where vegetables are grown, went under water in recent weeks.
“In fact, vegetables are now being brought to Munshiganj from Dhaka’s Shyambazar. This has led to a shortage of vegetables in the markets of the capital,” he said.
According to data of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), floodwater in 10 northern districts has inundated crops, including vegetables, paddy and jute, on more than 12,000 hectares of land.
A senior DAE official said vegetable plants would be affected the most. “Plants would die if they remained submerged for a couple of days. This might affect vegetable production,” he noted.
The prices of rice and broiler chicken have also gone up by Tk 1 to Tk 20 per kg. Egg, a major source of protein, was selling at Tk 108 per dozen on Friday, up from Tk 102 a week ago.
Hot spices (garam masala) including cinnamon, cardamom, clove, cumin seed, bay leaf, garlic, coriander seed, ginger and turmeric and red chillies increased 5.0 to 26 per cent in last the week, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).
Cinnamon was sold at Tk 480-520 per kg from Tk 380-420 per kg a week back, clove at Tk 800-900 a kg from Tk 700-850 a kg. Cardamom prices reached Tk 3,500-3,650 a kg at retail which were Tk 2,800-3,200 a kg seven days back.
