Imported fruit is increasingly becoming unavailable in shops with higher prices as the measures to control the import of non-essential goods goes into effect.
Usually, when the mango and jackfruit season ends, it is the imported fruits that fill the demand for the rest of the year.
However this year, imported fruits like apples, grapes, oranges, pears and many more can hardly be seen in the market.
Although some domestic fruits like pineapple, guava, and bananas are still available.
According to market insiders, due to the dollar crisis, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has recently taken an initiative to discourage fruit imports by imposing a 20% regulatory duty on them.
Moreover, the depreciation of taka against the dollar affected the import costs notably.
The importers of the capital's top fruit markets said that after the imposition of the regulatory duty, the fruit import declined by at least 30% to 33% which has reduced their business.
The price of imported fruits hiked by 20% or more which has started to affect the wholesale and retail sales of imported fruits.
Traders say they are trying to stay in business by reducing their profit margins.
During this time every year, the market is usually flooded by various types of apples but currently, there are just two or three types visible which are priced at Tk250 to Tk300 per kg, an increase from Tk120 to Tk150.
Oranges are another popular imported fruit, which usually experiences comparatively lower prices in summer but the scenario is totally different this year.
It is being sold at Tk270-Tk300 per kg, which is beyond the reach of most people.
Among other fruits, dates are being sold at Tk700 to Tk2500 per kg based on the type.
After visiting some fruit markets in the capital, the less expensive green grapes are being sold at Tk350 per kg, whereas the expensive black ones were seen in a few shops and red grapes were almost off the market.
Moreover, nearly all types of imported fruits experienced a hike in price from Tk10 to Tk60 per kg, said the market insiders.
Fruit traders said that local fruits are dominating the market due to Bangladesh's policy decision to reduce imports.
The steps, taken by the Bangladesh Bank to limit the import of less essential and luxury goods, have reduced the import of fruits significantly.
Moreover, due to the reduced supply, the prices of imported fruits have hiked notably.
Jahangir Hasan, a fruit seller in Karwan Bazar, said that there is no adequate supply of the imported fruits in the market so the price is increasing.
He also said that despite selling fruits at a higher price, their income has decreased as a result of the increased price, and sales have decreased by more than 50%.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Serajul Islam, general secretary of Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importer Association (BFFIA), said that a regulatory duty of 20% has been levied on fruit as a luxury item.
“Moreover, importers have to open loan of credit (LC) with 100% margin which led to a significant decline in import, nearly 30% to 33%,” he added.
He also said that due to low supply in the market, the price of fruits is hiked by nearly 20% or more.
“Importers don't have enough money to open LC with 100% margin. Hence, sustaining our business has become a challenge,” he added.
Sheikh Abdul Karim, general secretary of Dhaka City Fruits Importers-Exporters and Wholesalers Traders Association said due to the imposition of such duties on daily necessities like fruits, the traders are losing market.
Masudur Rahman, a customer from Karwan Bazar said that the prices of almost all fruits, including oranges, grapes, apples and pears, have increased by about Tk50 per kg or more, so he had to reduce consumption.
According to the import data for 2021, the people of the country consume an average of 16 lakh 88 thousand kg of imported fruits every day.
The daily retail market of fruits is worth Tk27 crore and the estimated size of the annual fruit market at the retail level in the country is about Tk10 thousand crore.
Usually, the demand for imported fruits is high from September to January because of a limited supply of local fruits during this time.