Prices of most vegetables have remained elevated for more than two months, offering no relief to ordinary consumers. Despite adequate supply in Dhaka markets, vegetable prices continue to stay high, increasing daily household expenses.
A slight drop in chicken prices on Friday, however, brought some temporary relief to buyers. Onion prices, meanwhile, remain unchanged at high levels, with sellers warning of further hikes.
A visit to the Mirpur-1 kitchen market on Friday showed that almost all winter vegetables are available, but prices remain steep. Sellers cited low supply, seasonal transition, and recent rainfall as reasons behind the sustained rise.
Vegetable prices stay high
Indian tomatoes were selling at Tk 150 per kg, local tomatoes at Tk 140, green tomatoes at Tk 70–80, local carrots at Tk 80, Chinese carrots at Tk 130–140, long eggplants at Tk 80–90, white round eggplants at Tk 100 and black round eggplants at Tk 120.
Beans were priced between Tk 80–180 depending on type. Turnips were Tk 70, new potatoes Tk 150–160, spring onions Tk 100, onion stalks Tk 220, local cucumbers Tk 100–120, bitter gourd Tk 120, karela Tk 100, okra Tk 80–100, and hybrid pointed gourd Tk 80. Local pointed gourd was selling at Tk 120, while other gourds such as snake gourd, sponge gourd, and ridge gourd were Tk 80 per kg.
Yardlong beans were Tk 100–120, taro stems Tk 80, radish Tk 50–60, taro root Tk 70–80, green chili Tk 140, coriander leaves Tk 160, hybrid cucumbers Tk 70–80, papaya Tk 35–40 and sweet pumpkin Tk 50.
Bottle gourds were selling at Tk 70–80 each, ash gourds at Tk 60–70, cauliflower and cabbage at Tk 50 each, and broccoli at Tk 80–100. A set of four green bananas cost Tk 40, while lemons were Tk 40–50 per set.
Vegetable seller Md Shah Alam said prices should not be as high as they are. “There are vegetables in the market, but prices are not decreasing. Wholesalers claim supply is low and demand is high. They also say sudden rainfall damaged seedlings. We are buying at high prices, so we are selling at high prices,” he said.
Private employee Aminul Haque, a buyer, expressed frustration, saying most vegetables now cost over Tk 100 per kg. “Ordinary people cannot afford such prices. I buy only what I can. complaining in this country makes no difference,” he said.
Onion prices unchanged at high levels
Onion prices remained above Tk 100 per kg across varieties. Cross-variety onions were selling at Tk 110–120 depending on size, with smaller ones at Tk 110 and larger ones at Tk 120. Local onions were Tk 120.
Red potatoes and white potatoes were Tk 25 per kg, Bogura potatoes Tk 35, local garlic Tk 80–110, Chinese garlic Tk 160–180, Chinese ginger Tk 180–200 and Indian ginger Tk 160–180.
Onion seller Md Yusuf said stocks are running low, causing further price pressure. “Prices may rise within a day or two. I am selling onions bought at older prices. The new stock costs more, so I must sell at higher prices,” he said.
Chicken prices fall across all varieties
After weeks of rising meat prices, the chicken market saw a reduction across all varieties on Friday. Broiler chicken was selling at Tk 155–170 per kg, cock chicken at Tk 245–260, layer chicken at Tk 280 and local chicken at Tk 550.
Egg prices also declined, with red chicken eggs at Tk 110–120 per dozen, white eggs at Tk 105–115 and duck eggs at Tk 200. Broiler prices dropped by Tk 7–10 per kg, cock chicken by Tk 5–20 and layer chicken by Tk 10. All chicken egg prices fell by Tk 5 per dozen, while duck egg prices fell by Tk 10.
Md Sultan of B. Baria Chicken House said sales have slowed despite the price drop. “It seems people buy more when prices are high, as if the taste increases with the price,” he said.
Fish prices remained steady, with selling at Tk 1,000–2,800 depending on size. Rui was priced at Tk 400–600, katla at Tk 350–550, kalibaush at Tk 400–1,000, shrimp at Tk 1,000–1,800, kachki at Tk 400–500, koi at Tk 250–1,400, pabda at Tk 400–600, shing at Tk 400–1,200, tengra at Tk 600–1,000, bele at Tk 800–1,200, meni at Tk 600–800, boal at Tk 600–1,200 and rupchanda at Tk 1,100–1,400.
Grocery prices see no change
Grocery items saw no price changes. Packaged polao rice was Tk 155 per kg, loose polao rice Tk 90–130, small lentils Tk 155, coarse lentils Tk 90, large moong dal Tk 140, small moong dal Tk 170, khesari dal Tk 100, chickpea dal Tk 115, chickpeas Tk 110 and mashkalai dal Tk 180.
Bottled soybean oil was Tk 198 per liter, loose soybean oil Tk 172, canned ghee Tk 1,450–1,550, loose ghee Tk 1,250, packaged sugar Tk 110, loose sugar Tk 95, two-kg flour packs Tk 130, two-kg atta packs Tk 130. Mustard oil was Tk 220 per liter, while spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and pepper remained unchanged at high levels.
