Khulna’s non-profit shops, which made the headlines upon opening, have yielded an unexpected profit, with those behind the initiative saying the profits from this project will be invested in rooftop gardening.
Five locations generated a total of Tk1,500 in profit in two days, Sunday and Monday.
More notably, the prices of certain goods in the market have begun to drop. The price of green chillies, which was previously Tk400 taka per kilogram, has decreased to between Tk120 and Tk160 per kg. The prices of potatoes and onions remain stable, and the cost of other vegetables has slightly decreased, although they are still not within easy reach for most consumers.
The non-profit shops ran across five points in the district for the last two days. Although six points had been planned, one location, Khalishpur Chitrali Market, remained closed. Meanwhile, the Shibbari intersection point was moved to the Moylapota intersection on Tuesday, as the Department of Agricultural Marketing initiated an Open Market Sale (OMS) of agricultural products there. This OMS operated at five points throughout Khulna.
Hriday Ghorami, a member of the Khulna Anti-Discrimination Student Movement market control task force, told Dhaka Tribune: "We purchase goods at wholesale rates and sell them at the same prices through the non-profit shops. Minor differences in weight cause prices to sometimes round up (eg, Tk25.25 becomes Tk26), resulting in a marginal profit. Through these five points, we earned Tk1,500 in profit over two days, with an average profit of Tk150 from each point per day."
"The profits from this project will be invested in a rooftop gardening initiative, starting November 1 in Khulna. Our goal is to convert every rooftop in Khulna city and district into gardens. To this end, 40 members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have already received training. They will work to transform each roof into a green space,” he added.
“For homeowners willing to invest, we will provide support and set up the gardens. For those unable to invest, we will offer funds and resources to create rooftop gardens for them."
Hriday said the price of green chillies was Tk400 taka per kg at Boyra Market on Sunday, but “once we introduced the non-profit shop, the price dropped to Tk200 taka, while we sold it at Tk150 taka.”
By Monday, green chillies were available for Tk120-Tk160 per kg throughout Khulna, according to him.
The non-profit shops offered imported onions at Tk75 per kg, local garlic at Tk215, lentils at Tk100-Tk105, bottle gourd at Tk40 (per piece), red spinach at Tk25-Tk30, pointed gourd at Tk40, green chillies at Tk150 and papaya at Tk20.
Muhibullah Muhib, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said the primary goal of these shops was to stabilize essential commodity prices by disrupting market syndicates.
“Within two days of opening the non-profit shops, we are already seeing reduced prices. Until prices are affordable for the general public, these shops will remain open."
Advocate Babul Hawladar, a leader of a local civil society organization, said if a non-profit initiative could sell goods at wholesale rates and still make an unexpected profit, there should be guidance and rigorous monitoring of the profit margins of wholesale and retail traders.
“When students sell red spinach for Tk25-Tk30, green chillies for Tk150 and pointed gourd for Tk40 and still make a profit, how much are retail traders profiting when they charge Tk60-Tk70 for red spinach, Tk400 for green chillies and so on? Effective monitoring could make price control easier."
Meanwhile, Senior Agriculture Marketing Officer Abdus Salam Tarafdar told this correspondent that the local market-monitoring task force committee remained vigilant.
Deputy Commissioner Md Saiful Islam said the task force was actively monitoring the market to keep prices under control, adding that there was a focus on ensuring strict oversight.
