Staff Reporter:
There is no relief for consumers in kitchen markets as commodity prices have not yet become stable.
Vendors attributed higher prices to increased procurement costs. However, some vendors said the prices of vegetables have decreased ever so slightly.
Winter is traditionally associated with an abundance of vegetables, leading to lower prices. However, this season, the pattern is disrupted as prices remain resistant to decrease.
Muktadirul Islam, who works at a private organization, expressed his discontent at a kitchen market in Mirpur 1 in the capital on Friday. “The prices of all vegetables should be low in winter. But they are not decreasing this time. If the price of a vegetable falls by Tk10, after a few days, it increases by Tk20.”
Runner beans were priced between Tk60-80, turnip at Tk50, raw tomato at Tk50, regular tomato at Tk60, onion sprouts at Tk60, peas at Tk140, radish at Tk40, red radish at Tk50, local carrot at Tk50, long brinjal at Tk100, white round brinjal at Tk100, black round brinjal at Tk10, cucumber at Tk70, papaya at Tk40, pointed gourd at Tk70, pumpkin at Tk50, okra at Tk100, snake gourd at Tk80, sponge gourd at Tk80, green chilli at Tk100, cauliflower at Tk60, cabbage at Tk50, broccoli at Tk60 and coriander leaves at Tk120 per kg.
Shafayat, another customer, said: “Winter is ending, but I could not buy cauliflower or cabbage below Tk50. Even on Friday it is being sold at Tk60. And I bought gourd for Tk100. These are seasonal vegetables, but they have to be bought at a high price.”
Vendors, such as Harun, pinned the blame on factors beyond their control, emphasizing that they sell at prices reflecting their purchase costs.
Another seller, Sanwar, mentioned: “The price of vegetables was high at the beginning of winter, but now it has come down a lot. But on Friday the price is higher than last week.”
Friday’s market saw onions being sold at Tk75-80, red and white potatoes at Tk45-50, local garlic at Tk280, Chinese garlic at Tk240-260, Indian ginger at Tk240 and Chinese ginger at Tk240.
Potato-onion seller Sharif noted a decrease in prices and expected further reductions, although ginger and garlic prices have seen an increase.
Additionally, ilish was priced at Tk1,000-1,200 based on weight, rui at Tk360-600, catla at Tk380-550, Kalibaus at Tk400-600, prawns at Tk700-1,200, Kachki fish at Tk450, Koi fish at Tk200-1000, Pabda fish at Tk450-600, Tengra fish at Tk600-800, Boal fish at Tk600-1200, and Rupchanda fish at Tk1,000-1,200 per kg.
Poultry prices included broiler chicken at Tk192-208, cock chicken at Tk272-280, layer chicken at Tk272, local chicken at Tk550, besides beef at Tk750 per kg.
