Alongside prices of daily commodities, prices of local and imported fruits have also gone up sharply in the first week of Ramadan. In just one week, prices of all fruits increased by Tk80 to 100 per kg in the local market. In the first two days of Ramadan, prices went up by Tk20 to Tk50 per kg of different varieties of fruits at the retail level. Traders have increased the price of fruits on various pretexts, including an increase in dollar price, increase in duty, shortage in supply, credit complications, and low import.
Consumers say that importers are deliberately inflating prices. Sellers say that their sales have also come down significantly
Importers claim that the price of fruits has increased by more than 10% due to the increase in the dollar rate and hike in duty. Importers, as a result, are importing fewer amounts of fruits. Many have stopped importing completely.
According to sources, duty on a handful of fruits has been increased. Then why have prices of all the fruits gone up?
While visiting the largest wholesale market of fruit items in Dhaka, Badamtali, it was seen that prices of apples, oranges, blood oranges and grapes have increased by Tk50 to 100 per kg. At the same time, prices of bananas, papayas, guavas, stone apples and pineapples have gone up by Tk20 to 50 taka more per kg.
Each carton of apples from Poland was being sold at Tk4,800 at Badamtoli yesterday. A week ago the same apple was selling for Tk4,300. Similarly, the price of green apples has increased from T4,200 to Tk5200 per carton. Royal gala apples were being sold at Tk5,700—up by at least Tk400 per carton.
Blood oranges were sold at Tk4,250 per carton, which was Tk2,600 a week ago. Black grapes were being sold at Tk6,700 per carton. Earlier they were being sold at Tk4,600. The price of pears has gone up by Tk200 per carton. The question remains: why?
Trader Jalal Uddin said that customs authorities have destabilized the fruit market by increasing duty without any reason. Duty on a kg of apples, oranges and blood oranges was Tk62, which is now Tk88. Similarly, duty has been fixed at Tk119 for grapes, which was Tk98. Duty on foreign fruits has now increased to 23%.
In the retail markets, pears were sold at Tk280 per kg yesterday and grapes at Tk300. African Gala apples were being sold at Tk340 per kg. Of the local fruits, pineapple was being sold at Tk50 per piece—up from Tk30. Stone apples were being sold at Tk200 to 220 per piece—up by Tk100.
The story is the same for papayas, guavas, and even watermelons. Watermelons, a juicy summer fruit, were being sold at Tk80 per kg, although it is completely locally produced.
Trader Md Shaon said the prices of fruits have increased bit by bit every day for the last two weeks. Alongside increased dollar rates and duty, he blamed banks for not allowing LCs. This trader said that the demand for all varieties of fruits goes up significantly during Ramadan and the government must intervene to calm the prices down.
Aleya Begum, a housewife, bought half a kg of grapes, half a kg of oranges and one kg of apples from Ray Saheb Bazar. She said that children don’t want to understand anything regarding prices. They love to eat fruits and thus there is no way but to keep buying fruits regardless of the inflated prices of fruits. Moreover, there is a huge demand for two or more fruit items for Iftar during the month of Ramadan, she added.
Regarding the increase in the price of foreign fruits, Sirajul Islam, President of Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importers Association, said that the import of fruits has decreased in the last one month. The government has imposed an additional tax on the imported fruits.
“We are struggling to import fruits. The price of these fruits is not likely to decrease if the duty is not reduced. If the duty is reduced, the price will be reduced. Meanwhile, a syndicate is actively inflating prices in the market,” he alleged.