The prices of vegetables in the capital’s kitchen markets experienced a fresh surge due to the ongoing transport strike across the country against the rise in the price of diesel and kerosene.
Market insiders and customers said that the price of vegetables and other daily commodities have been rising in the market for quite some time now.
Although it is the peak season for winter vegetables, there are no signs of the prices going down.
The price of vegetables shot up further overnight due to the transport strike.
Upon visiting various kitchen markets in the capital on Saturday, it has been seen that the vegetables are now being sold at a higher price by Tk5 to Tk10 per unit.
The rising fuel prices, transport fares and the ongoing transport strikes have begun to heat up the kitchen market as truck owners have increased fares due to the hike in diesel prices.
Khondakar Golam Moazzem, research director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said: “Due to the increase of the price of fuel in the world market, the cost of production and transportation in our country will increase.”
“The cost of irrigation in agriculture will also increase, which will further accelerate inflation,” he added.
He also said that the government should have subsidized, rather than increasing the prices.
In this way, the consumers would have been relieved from the pressure of higher prices.
To put things in perspective, tomatoes are now being sold at Tk120-130, which was Tk100-Tk110 per kg only a couple of days ago.
Similarly, the price of carrots has also increased by the same amount and is now being sold at Tk110-140 per kg.
The wholesalers at Karwan Bazar claimed that they have to purchase these items at a higher cost than before, which is ultimately reflecting on the retail price.
Abdul Barek, a consumer from Shah Ali market, said that the prices of vegetables are not supposed to increase on the very first day after the surge in diesel price.
He fears that traders will increase the prices of all produce due to the increase of diesel prices and ongoing strikes and this will double the struggle of middle- and lower-income people to save their lives.
Beans are being sold at Tk120-Tk130 per kg, lady fingers and barbati at Tk50-Tk60, potol at Tk80 and Chichinga at Tk50-Tk60.
Among other vegetables, eggplant is being sold at Tk80-100, which was Tk75 two days ago, and green chilli is being sold for Tk110-120, with a Tk10 increase from the previous day.
However, consumers complained that the traders are charging unreasonably higher prices for these items.
They fear that the rising commodity prices are very unlikely to come down again.
Over the last few months, the price of rice, pulse, sugar, soybean oil, broiler chicken, onions, potatoes and other products have also increased.
On the other hand, the price of 12 kg LPG cylinders has also gone up by Tk54, increasing for the second time in less than a month.