Rajshahi's vegetable market, much like the rest of the country, is in disarray. Prices for staples like rice, lentils, and fish remain steep.
Although there is no shortage of food, vegetable costs continue to climb, driven by poor management and inadequate oversight.
Profiteering by sellers and stockpilers is putting increased strain on lower- and middle-income households.
A visit to various local markets in the city, including Saheb Bazar, Court Bazar, Shiroil, and New Market, on Friday revealed that the prices of daily essentials remain unusually high, with the excuse of recent flooding.
Although prices have decreased slightly compared to last week, the cost of vegetables is still increasing by Tk 20-40 per kg at the local level as they make their way from producers to consumers.
According to vendors, the supply of vegetables is not yet fully normal. However, they expect prices to fall as more winter vegetables hit the market in the coming days.
Currently, prices of vegetables have decreased by Tk10-20 per kg compared to last week, and further decreases are anticipated. They claim transportation costs and other expenses contribute to the price hike from farmers to consumers.
Cauliflower, for instance, is being sold at Tk80-90 per kg in the market, down from Tk120 per kg last week. However, farmers are selling cauliflower for Tk55-60 per kg.
A cauliflower farmer from Poba, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Last week, I sold cauliflower for Tk75 per kg at the wholesale market. This week, I had to sell it for Tk60 per kg, but I hear it’s being sold at Tk100 per kg in retail. I believe that with proper oversight, we could get better prices, and customers wouldn't be exploited."
On Friday, vegetables such as gourd, radish, ridge gourd, snake gourd, and cucumber were being sold for Tk60-100 per kg, down from Tk80-120 last week.
Eggplant was selling for Tk100 per kg, while okra and bitter gourd were Tk120 per kg, bottle gourd was Tk60-70 each, and potatoes were Tk55-60 per kg.
Green chilies were being sold for Tk320-350 per kg, a decrease from last week's Tk360-380. Onions ranged from Tk90-110 per kg depending on the variety, ginger was Tk280, and garlic was Tk240 per kg.
Liton Ali, a vegetable vendor at Saheb Bazar, said that prices have been gradually dropping over the past few days. "Within the next 10-15 days, local winter vegetables will start coming to market, and prices will drop significantly.”
Meanwhile, poultry prices remain high, with broiler chicken selling for Tk190 per kg, local chicken for Tk470, Sonali chicken for Tk270, and Pati duck for Tk400.
In the egg market, white farm eggs were selling for Tk48 per four, duck eggs for Tk 70, and local chicken eggs for Tk62 per four.
Meanwhile, Pangas was being sold for Tk180-200 per kg, Rui for Tk300, Silver Carp for Tk220-250, Mrigal for Tk250, Catla for Tk350, Tilapia for Tk200, Pabda for Tk500, local Koi for Tk600, and Boal for Tk500 per kg.
Abdul Alim, whose father is a farmer, said: "I live in the city, but my father grows vegetables in the village. After all the hard work, my father sells vegetables at a low price, but when I come to the market, the prices are often double or more. This is a clear failure of oversight, and it’s making life difficult for people like us with low incomes."
Jamshed Ali, a vegetable vendor, said that the prices of vegetables fluctuate daily. "On Friday, I had to buy vegetables for Tk80 per kg that I bought for Tk70 earlier in the week. Prices could rise again in a few days. We’re buying and selling under these conditions, and our profit margins are thin.”
Umme Salma, deputy director of the Rajshahi Department of Agricultural Extension, said while some crops have been affected by recent rainfall, the damage is not significant. "We expect that once the winter vegetables come into the market, the pressure will ease considerably.”
To maintain stability in the essential goods market in Rajshahi, a task force has been deployed to monitor the situation.
Zobaer Ahmed, Rajshahi's additional deputy commissioner and leader of the task force, said: "We have inspected wholesale markets and warehouses in person and issued instructions to all traders. They have been directed to keep prices of essential goods reasonable and make fair profits. Traders are promising to follow the rules, and we will continue regular market monitoring."
Ghulam Mustafa Mamun, general secretary of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) in Rajshahi, said: "We are regularly monitoring the market. The government has formed a task force committee, and we are warning traders. If they don’t comply, we will take stricter actions."
