Bangladesh moves to import green chillies and tomatoes to lower price

Prices of the products have increased abnormally

The government has authorised the import of green chillies and tomatoes to quell skyrocketing prices.

The Ministry of Agriculture gave the import permit for these vegetables on Monday, approving the import of 11,600 tonnes of green chillies and 55,600 tonnes of tomatoes on the first day.

The price of green chillies usually goes up during heavy rains, but this time the costs spiked amid regular weather. People are paying Tk 300-400 for each kg depending on the location. It is usually priced around Tk 100.

The demand for tomatoes, which had been a winter vegetable in Bangladesh, is now high all year round.

Online grocery store Chaldal was selling each kg of green chillies around Tk 360 and tomatoes around Tk 140.

Liakat Hossain Khan, a deputy director at the Department of Agricultural Extension, said the import permit was issued for three months this year. Last year, the ministry permitted imports of the products for six months.

He said it was not clear why the price of green chillies was surging but he hopes that it will return to normal once the imports begin. “We will shut down the import then if needed.”

KJM Abdul Awal, a director of the department, said Bangladesh was yet to cultivate tomatoes throughout the year successfully, but efforts were still under way.