Vegetable prices have risen again in the capital’s markets, leaving only a handful of items available below Tk 100 per kg, while egg and onion prices also remained high.
A visit to Rai Saheb Bazar, Kalta Bazar and Narinda Bazar on Friday found several vegetables, including brinjal, bitter gourd, string beans and taro root, selling at elevated rates.
Brinjal was selling at Tk 70–120 per kg, taro root at Tk 80–90, bitter gourd at Tk 70–80 and string beans at Tk 80–100. Snake gourd, sponge gourd and ridge gourd were priced at Tk 70–90 per kg, while pointed gourd and okra were available at Tk 50–70.
Tomatoes were selling at Tk 80–100 per kg and cucumbers at Tk 80–120. Green chillies increased by about Tk 20 per kg, selling at Tk 100–120.
Fish prices also remained high, with pangas selling at Tk 200 per kg, tilapia at Tk 230, rui at Tk 300–350 and mrigal carp at Tk 250–300.
Premium varieties were significantly costlier: baim Tk 600–800 per kg, shrimp Tk 900–1,100, pabda Tk 350, koi Tk 400–500, shing Tk 400, poa Tk 260, shol Tk 700 and taki Tk 400.
Poultry prices, however, remained stable. Broiler chicken sold at Tk 185–190 per kg and Sonali chicken at Tk 340–350.
Local onions were selling at Tk 45–50 per kg in the capital, up from Tk 40–45 earlier in the week. Prices in neighbourhood shops reached Tk 55 per kg, while hybrid onions were available at around Tk 40 per kg.
Traders said supply had fallen due to continuous rainfall in several parts of the country, while production was also affected as the summer vegetable season peaked.
Nurul Islam, a Rai Saheb Bazar shop owner, said wholesale prices had increased, pushing up retail rates.
Mofizul Islam, a vegetable trader at Kalta Bazar, blamed supply disruption and seasonal production conditions.
Consumers said rising prices had strained household budgets.
“I see almost no vegetables below Tk 100. Fish, meat and chicken were already expensive, and now egg prices have also risen,” said Barkat Uddin, a private-sector employee at Rai Saheb Bazar.
Sharmin Begum, a homemaker in Kalta Bazar, said even Tk 100 now covers only a small portion of daily groceries.
The rise in vegetable prices has also pushed up egg demand, increasing prices by Tk 15–20 per dozen over the past week.
Brown eggs are selling at Tk 145–150 per dozen, up from Tk 130–135 a week earlier, while white eggs are priced at Tk 140–145. Prices are higher in neighbourhood shops.
Md Rafiq, an egg seller at Rai Saheb Bazar, said higher vegetable prices had shifted demand toward eggs, pushing up wholesale rates.