The prices of all kinds of daily products including vegetables, spices, fish and rice have increased. In Bagerhat and Burichang, lower-middle class in distress with high commodities price. News from our correspondent:-
Bagerhat
In Bagerhat, the prices of all kinds of daily products including vegetables, spices, fish and rice have increased. On Monday morning, green chilies are being sold at Tk 600 per kg in the biggest market of Bagerhat city. A week ago, green chilies were sold at Tk 180-220 per kg. Prices of other vegetables have also increased. Tk 55 potato is being sold at Tk 60, Tk 30 sweet pumpkin is selling at Tk 60, Tk 40 cucumber is Tk 60-70, corolla is Tk 80, even though there is no quality of brinjal, the price has doubled, Tk 70 brinjal is being sold at Tk 140 to 150. Tomato Tk 260, Papaya is Tk 50, Dheras Tk 60, Kushi Tk 80, Potol Tk 90, Kachur Mukhi Tk 70-80 per kg are being sold. In a word, there is no vegetable under Tk 60 in the market. Traders said prices have gone up due to low supply.
On the other hand, due to the 22-day ban in the sea to protect mother hilsa, the supply of sea fish in the market has decreased. On that occasion, locally produced fish is being sold at a high price. Rui, katla, mrigel, grasscarp, nalotika, china puthi, silvercarp are being sold at Tk 300 to 500 depending on the size. Tengra fish, Harina prawns, Chami prawns are being sold from Tk 500 to Tk 800. Pangas and telapia fish are being sold for Tk 120-280; Koi fish is Tk 200-250, Jaba fish selling at Tk 260-350 per kg.
Answering the question why green chilies are being sold at such a high price, the seller Sheikh Talif said that it has been raining for several days. Floods have occurred in some districts. Many vegetable gardens have been destroyed. So the price of vegetables including green chilies is also higher.
Khalid Hasan, who came to the market, said that 15 days ago, the price of vegetables, including green chilies, was a little low. The price has gone up a lot this week. I bought 200 grams of green chilies for Tk 140.
Salma Akhtar said that the price of green chilies has increased more than twice in one week. If it continues like this, it will be difficult for us to make an urgent appeal to the present government to look into this matter.
Meanwhile, the price of rice has also increased by Tk 5 to 10. Bullet and Swarna Bullet are being sold at Tk 50 to Tk 55 per kg; small rice is being sold at Tk 60 to Tk 90 per kg. There is a shortage of local coarse rice and edible rice in the market.
Abdullah Al Imran, Assistant Director of Bagerhat Consumer Rights Protection Directorate, said that the market monitoring task force has been formed to control the market price and keep it within the purchasing power of the common people. We are regularly raiding the market. Action is being taken if there is any discrepancy or irregularity.
Burichang
The raw vegetable market in Cumilla's Burichang Upazila is booming. Those who could not afford to eat fish and meat, relied only on vegetables, they are not able to do so now. Due to the high price of vegetables in the market, those vegetables are now a luxury product for them. As a result, common people are confused.
No vegetable is available in the market below Tk 100. Vegetables have gone beyond the purchasing power of the public. As the days go by the heat is spreading with high prices in vegetables. As a result, it has become difficult to buy vegetables.
After visiting a number of markets including Burichang Bazar, Fakir Bazar, Shankucail in the upazila and found that 1 kg of raw chili is being sold at Tk 450/500. Tomato is priced at Tk 260 per kg, dhundal at Tk 120, bitter gourd at Tk 80 to Tk 100, barb at Tk 140 to Tk 160 per kg, chichinga at Tk 100 per kg, patal at Tk 80, olkachu at Tk 80 to Tk 100, kachur chora at Tk 70 to Tk 80 per kg, Kachur Lati 100 Tk, gourd 110 to 130 Tk per piece, sweet pumpkin Tk 60 to 70 per kg, cucumber Tk 80, green papaya Tk 60, carrot Tk 180 to Tk 200, eggplant Tk 100, brinjal Tk 140, desi beans Tk 250, Egg hali Tk 60, Small size pumpkin greens or gourd greens Tk 70 to 80, Kalmi greens Tk 20, Red greens Tk 60 to 70. Thus, the current market price of each vegetable is quite high.
In Shankuchail market of Burichang upazila, Shiuli Akter of Chanal village was talked to, he said that he came to the market with the earnestness of a small boy and bought vegetables when he went to buy broiler chicken and saw that the price of vegetables skyrocketed. I thought, I will return home after buying a couple of vegetables. But because the price of vegetables is high, I am going back home after buying one kg of dhundal for Tk 120. But a few days ago, the price of this dhundal was only Tk 40-50 per kg. Day by day the price of raw vegetables is increasing; common people are losing their ability to buy vegetables.
Charu Mia, a vegetable seller in Kalikapur market, said that the price of fish and meat in the market is high. Vegetables were the common people's trust. But that too is going out of our reach every day. No vegetable can be bought below Tk one hundred. What will people eat in this situation?
Md Siraj Sikder, a raw vegetable trader in Burichang Bazar, said, "We often send vegetables from Nimsar Bazar in Cumilla. Vegetable cultivation has been affected in every upazila of the district due to recent floods. Therefore, the price of vegetables is high as the supply of vegetables is less compared to the demand in the wholesale market. Some are importing vegetables from other districts. Import costs including rent are increasing. As a result, the price of vegetables is higher than before.
ZH
