- Veg rarely found below Tk100
- Heavy rains in Oct first week made veg price high -DAE officials say
- Onion, egg, potato not found yet in govt set prices
- Sellers rise prices at their will- Consumers claim
Winter vegetables have started coming in the market, but the prices are not affordable for the buyers. In this situation, the middle and lower class families who come to market are extremely uncomfortable. Vendors say that not enough vegetables have come to the market yet, which is why the prices are also slightly higher. However, as winter approaches, these prices will come down. This information was revealed by visiting the market in Badda, Rampura area of the capital yesterday morning.
In the market, beans are being sold at Tk 200 per kg, tomatoes at Tk 100, eggplant at Tk 80, radish at Tk 70, potal at Tk 80, sweet pumpkin at Tk 50 (kg), papaya at Tk 25, chilli at Tk 200 per kg. Apart from this, cucumber is being sold at Tk 80, carrot at Tk 120, burbati at Tk 120, potato at Tk 55 per kg, cauliflower at Tk 40 (small), cabbage at Tk 30 (small).
It is known that in winter, the market is usually full of different types of vegetables including gourd, sweet pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, local onion, Indian onion, eggplant, radish, red leafy vegetable, spinach, fennel, burbati, papaya, potato, bitter gourd, Taro, cucumber. However, this year, vegetable production has been somewhat disrupted due to incessant rains. That's why vegetables are relatively low in the market. Therefore, winter vegetables are beyond the purchasing power of ordinary consumers.
Rownok Hasan, an employee of a private company who came to market, said that the prices of vegetables, fish and meat increased when Friday came. I took it to the market the next day, it was Tk 50, today it is Tk 80. What happened in the country in two days that the price increased by Tk 30? This means traders raise prices at will. And there is no one to see this irregularity of the traders.
"Maybe the price rise is nothing for some people, but a lot for middle- and lower-class people like us," he said. If you take Tk 500 to the market, the bag is not even half full, but it was not the same a year ago.
Tanvir Hossain said, "In today's market, the price of everything seems to be high. Radish is Tk 80 per kg, which is usually between Tk 30-40. Bean came to the market at least 15-20 days ago, but the price is still Tk 200 per kg. Is there anything else to do but ask for a price?
"There is so much price of goods in the market, ordinary people like us are not in a position to buy. Whatever vegetable I ask the price, there is nothing below Tk 70/80/100. When you come to the market, you have to go back disappointed. I'm not in a position to buy fish and meat. It is also not the case that I will eat bharta-rice and vegetables. There is no language to explain how much danger we poor people are in.
Regarding the price of vegetables, Sakib Molla, a vegetable vendor of the five-storey market, said that the demand is very high even though winter vegetables come to the market. The price is high, yet people are taking so much money that we are also surprised to see. This means that the quantity of vegetables is less in proportion to the demand. For this reason, they are forced to sell at a slightly higher price.
Despite government efforts to regulate the market by setting prices for essential commodities such as eggs, potatoes, and onions, the desired results have not been achieved.
Local onion prices have recently surged from Tk80-85 to Tk100, and a dozen broiler chicken eggs, once priced between Tk145-150, now cost between Tk150-155.
Another reason for the high price is that the price of fertilizer pesticides in the market is very high. Moreover, the price of wages has also increased. After all, the price is now slightly higher at the farmer level. When it comes to us with different hands, naturally the price is supposed to be higher.
In contrast, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) reports excess cultivation of autumn vegetables this year. The targeted cultivation area was 1.22 lakh hectares, but it reached 129%. Notably, 46% of this cultivated land, equivalent to 72,000 hectares, has already been harvested.
Numerous farmers have already harvested vegetables and grown Aman crops, according to department of agricultural extension personnel. Many others are currently getting their fields ready for winter veggies. As a result, there are currently less veggies available.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) reports that summertime vegetable output is naturally low. The output is significantly higher during the winter, with over 34.57 lakh tonnes of vegetables produced. However, the total amount of vegetables produced in the summer and autumn does not reach 15 lakh tonnes.
JH
