Prices of vegetables in Gopalganj have doubled or even tripled over the past 10 days following heavy rainfall that damaged crops and disrupted supplies, leaving low and middle-income families struggling to cope with soaring food costs.
A visit to Boro Bazar in the town showed that no vegetable was selling for less than Tk 60 per kilogram. Okra, previously priced at Tk 20-25 per kg, is now selling for Tk 60. Sweet pumpkin price has increased from Tk 25-30 to Tk 60, while pointed gourd, ridge gourd and teasel gourd are selling at Tk 80 per kg after rising sharply from Tk 30-35. Sponge gourd now costs Tk 60, and both bitter gourd and taro corms have reached Tk 80 per kg.
A medium-sized bottle gourd that recently sold for Tk 30-40 now costs Tk 80-100. Papaya remains the cheapest vegetable at Tk 40 per kg, while green chilies have jumped to Tk 200 per kg from Tk 80 just 10 days ago.
Fish prices have also climbed significantly. Hilsa weighing one kilogram is selling for nearly Tk 3,000, while smaller hilsa weighing 350-400 grams costs around Tk 1,500. Farmed varieties, including pangas, rohit, catla and silver carp, have become Tk 25-50 more expensive per kilogram. Rohit now sells for Tk 500-600 per kg, up from Tk 450-480 only a few days ago.
Fish trader Johor blamed the increase on heavy rains in fish-producing areas, saying floodwaters caused farmed fish to escape from ponds, reducing market supply. Although hilsa prices briefly declined last week due to increased seasonal catches, they have since risen again, pushing overall fish prices higher.
Consumers say the rising costs are placing severe pressure on household budgets. Shopper Saidul Islam Shovon said many families can no longer afford to buy all the essentials. Another customer, Md. Ehsanul Alam, said his family has reduced fish consumption because prices continue to rise while incomes remain unchanged.
Vegetable traders said continuous rainfall has damaged crops and sharply reduced supplies reaching wholesale markets. They noted that vegetable prices usually increase during the monsoon season, but this year's prolonged rainfall has made the situation far worse.
Dr. Md. Mamunur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Gopalganj, said above-normal rainfall in July inundated 85 hectares of vegetable fields, damaging crops including bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, papaya, pointed gourd, okra, chili and yardlong beans. The losses have affected 1,360 vegetable farmers and significantly reduced local market supplies.
District Agricultural Marketing Officer Arif Hossain said authorities are continuing regular market monitoring and have advised traders to avoid excessive profit-taking while maintaining reasonable margins between wholesale and retail prices.
He added that with local production declining, most vegetables are now being brought into Gopalganj from other districts, contributing to higher prices.
