The fire in Dhaka North City Corporation market will hugely affect the market of baby food products as over 50% of the items and other imported goods are distributed from this market, fears traders’ association of the market.
The market is a big hub for whole-selling of imported food, cosmetics and others, basically baby foods. Every day, products valued millions are sold from this market, which go to the various super shops and markets across the country, especially those in Dhaka city.
“We have two baby food shops which had about one lakh wholesale and retail fixed customers all over the country as this is the only market where quality and imported baby food products are sold,” said an affected shop owner, Abdul Kader.
Traders at the market claimed that they used to sell baby food products valued about Tk2lakh to k5lakh each day to retail and wholesale customers.
“If we cannot sell the product for the next two month, it will hugely affect the Dhaka’s imported baby food market,” said Kader, owner of Mahin General Store.
Another shop owner Altaf Hossain Khokon claimed he lost Tk30lakh this time because of the fire and if the shop remained closed for two months, the losses by each of his two shops would be Tk20,000 daily.
“During Ramadan and Eid, which are approaching, our sales are 50 times more than other times,” Khokon mentioned, adding that they imported foods from India, China, Malaysia, America, European countries and others.
“Here, we sell products at the cheapest rate. So not only us but all involved in this import chain will be affected,” Khokon said.
Regular customers of the imported foods are also worried over where to get their desired products as the market that was burnt down by a fire on Saturday was the hub for good and cheap products.
Foreigners living in diplomatic zones and Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara also consider the place as the best hub for quality products.
“I always buy products from this market for my baby as imported goods are available here at reasonable price, but if these shops remain closed, it will affect the supply for our children,” Hasna Hena, who came to the market yesterday in search of baby food, expressed her concern.
“During the fire two years back, we suffered a lot as I had to buy baby foods from super shops at higher prices. Hope this time the situation will improve soon,” she added.
Because of the fire at the biggest wholesale distributors of imported goods, there will surely be delay in delivery of the products to other markets in Dhaka including the super shops, said Abu Taleb Babul, joint secretary of DNCC Kitchen Market Traders’ Association.
“Traders here earn Tk2lakh a day selling baby foods and because of the fire they will lose about Tk12lakh, which they could have earned as profit in the next two months,” he said.
Former governor of Bangladesh Bank and economist Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said the retail customers and the affected traders would bear the brunt as other retailers outside the market would sell the product from their stocks at higher prices.
“As Gulshan 1 DNCC market is one of the biggest wholesale distributors of imported merchandise, some retailers may now demand higher prices, using the decrease in supply as an excuse,” he apprehends.
The market’s traders and their association leaders claimed that the loss from the fire would be around Tk100-150 crore and around 1,500 people had lost their employment.
Even yesterday, many victims who lost their goods and cash in the fire were found to rummage the rubbles trying to salvage anything of value.
