Vegetable prices slide; sugar, rice and lentils dearer

Vegetable prices have hit a one-year low as winter comes to an end, but the prices of rice, sugar and lentils are keeping buyers on edge.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 Feb 2016, 06:07 AM
Updated : 6 Feb 2016, 12:26 PM

Potatoes, onions, tomatoes and eggplants were being sold at much lesser prices at Dhaka’s kitchen markets on Friday, compared to the last year’s corresponding period. 

Supply of these vegetables was up as farmers were clearing their fields to prepare them for new crops.

Prices of potatoes had shot up to Tk 100 at the start of the season but they now dropped to Tk 12 to Tk 14 per kilograms.

The vegetable was even cheaper at super shop ‘Swapno’, where it was sold for Tk 8 per kilogram.

Onions, usually sold for Tk 60 to 65, were now priced at Tk 22 to Tk 25.

Tomatoes were Tk 15 per kilograms, whereas those imported from India used to be sold for Tk 90 to 120 throughout the year, except winter.

Price of garlic went up to Tk 145 per kilograms.  

Locally-grown tomatoes came pouring into the markets bringing prices down at the onset of winter.

Sellers said prices may slide even further next week.

“Tonnes of goods are coming into the market. The prices are very low. Tomatoes and green chillies are imported from India. We have nowhere to keep them because local harvest has also been good,” said Mohsin Ali, a trader at Gopibagh kitchen market.

 The buyers would have benefited if there were facilities to store the vegetables for six months.

Eggplants cost Tk 25 to 30 per kilograms and radishes sold at Tk 15 per kilograms.  

The season was ending for cauliflowers and cabbages which were priced between Tk 12 to Tk 20 according to size.

The price of beans, however, went up from Tk 30 to Tk 35 per kilograms.

Prices of rice were up by Tk 2 per kilograms. Good quality ‘Nazirshail’ and Miniket were priced at Tk 57 per kilograms. But they usually cost Tk 48 or maximum Tk 52.

Lentils were much costlier as prices went up by Tk 25 to reach Tk 140 per kilograms.

“It will remain that away until locally-grown lentils enter the market”, said trader Akbar Hossain.

Sugar price too was on the rise. It was sold for Tk 50 per kilograms.

Salt price was up by 25 percent with one-kilogram packet being sold for Tk 25 to Tk 32.