Winter vegetables have started to appear in Khulna market and prices has went down to Tk10-15 per kilogram within a week.
Still the price is beyond the reach of the common buyer.
The price of vegetables in Khulna increased after the impact of Cyclone Sitrang.
In Khulna, gourds are being sold at Tk30-40 per piece while its being sold at Tk60-70 each in Dhaka. Cauliflower is sold at Tk80-90 per kilogram in Khulna, while in Dhaka, 300-400 grams of cauliflower is sold at Tk60-65 per piece. In Khulna, the price of green chilis is Tk40-50 per kg, but in Dhaka, 250 grams costs Tk35-40.
A trader in Khulna Md Anwar said that due to the destruction of vegetable fields in Cyclone Sitrang, the supply of winter vegetables in the market is less. So earlier the price was higher. Now the supply has started increasing. So, the price has decreased slightly.
Khoka Mia, a trader in Dhaka's Banani, said that the supply of vegetables in Dhaka has not yet increased. It costs more to bring vegetables from far away to Dhaka. So, the price of vegetables is high in Dhaka.
“For this reason, we sell small vegetables here as pieces instead of kilograms keeping the consumers ability in mind,” he added.
Sources said, in different markets of Khulna city, depending on the standard, onion is sold at Tk50-55, garlic Tk80-90, potato Tk28-30, green pepper Tk40, carrot Tk150, sweet pumpkin Tk40-45, brinjal Tk60-70, papaya Tk20, radish Tk30, per kilogram, among others.
Md Safiqul Islam, a buyer at Sandhya Bazar in the city, said: “The prices of all kinds of vegetables have decreased in the span of five-six days, but they have not come within reach.”
Additional Deputy Director of Khulna Department of Agricultural Extension Md Mosaddek Hossain said that there was not much damage to vegetables in the cyclone. For this the price of the product should not increase. A further increase in supply of winter vegetables will further reduce prices.
Khulna District Agricultural Marketing Officer Shahria Akunji said: “Some dishonest traders are keeping the prices of various products higher in the hope of more profit. But the market is being monitored. Efforts to identify such traders are ongoing. The prices of winter vegetables will soon come within the reach of the common consumer.”