Prices of daily commodities, especially vegetables, have shot up at the kitchen markets in Chittagong city on the occasion of Ramadan, in spite of having ample supply of vegetables and others items.
The prices of most vegetables have been on the rise, causing difficulties for the lower- and middle-income people.
In the city’s Kazir Dewri, Karnaphuli, Chowmuhani and Chawk Bazar kitchen markets, prices of aubergine, cucumber, green chilli, onion, tomato and lemon went up, forcing the consumers to buy the items at high rates.
Aubergines are being sold at Tk90-100 a kg, which was Tk70 only the day before. Cucumbers are Tk70-80 a kg, against last week’s price of Tk30 per kg.
Rahim Mia, a vegetable retailer at Kazir Dewri market, said the price of aubergines shot up to Tk100 from Tk80 per kg, while tomatoes were being sold at Tk70.
Mohammad Eliash, proprietor of Eliash Store in the same market, said the price of onion rose to Tk45 from Tk34 in a day, and the Indian garlic was also being sold at Tk95.
“We are forced to sell the items at high price to the customers as the wholesale traders have hiked the price,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Md Shah Alam, a retired Bangladesh Railway employee, said there was no political strike or any other obstruction in the supply chain that could cause the price hike.
Because of this, every essential commodity is going out of reach for the general people, he said.
Md Sakib, a road side vegetable vendor in Kazir Dewri market, said prices of four standard seized lemons was Tk25, while a kg of carrots was being sold at Tk100.
Venting his frustration, a consumer named Md Belal Hossain in Bandar area said although the government had announced to monitor the prices of essential commodities in market to check the price during Ramadan, there was no visible result.
“This is a common phenomenon every year,” he said.
The shopkeepers said the prices would keep increasing in the coming days of Ramadan.