Vegetable prices soar as transport costs rise

The price of all vegetables soared up at the retail markets of the city on Friday.

Market insiders said increased transportation costs reflected in the price of vegetables at both wholesale and retail markets.

They said the cost of transporting vegetables from rural farms to the wholesale markets increased following a rise in price of fuels used by trucks. 

The owners of trucks raised the fare for transporting vegetables at their wish after the government had increased the price of CNG gas and other fuels.

Price of all vegetables went up by at least Tk 5 to Tk 10 per kg at the city's kitchen markets over the last week.

On Friday, tomato was retiled at Tk 30 to Tk 32 per kg, up by Tk 5 over past week at the Polashi Bazar.

Green Papaya (pepe) was retailed at Tk 20 to Tk 25, up by Tk 5 per kg over the week and Jhinga was sold at Tk 30 to Tk 35 up, by Tk 10 per kg at the Kawran Bazar kitchen market.

Snake gourd (chichinga) was retailed at Tk 35 to Tk 40 per kg up by Tk 10 over the last week, aubergine was sold for Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg, up by Tk 5 and green chilly was retailed at Tk 40 per kg, up by Tk 5 over the previous week at Kawran Bazar.

Wholesalers said that they had to pay Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,500 extra over the charge for one trip after the prices of fuel were increased to transport vegetables by trucks from different rural areas to the capital city.

Abul Kalam, a wholesaler at Kawran Bazar kitchen market said the cost of transportation by truck increased by around Tk 2,500 per trip from the northern region of the country.

'The cost of transportation by truck per trip stood at average Tk 9,000 this week from the areas near the capital including Narsingdi, Manikganj, Munshiganj and Mymenshing,'he said.

Nur Mohammod, another wholesaler at Kawran Bazar said, 'The wholesalers had to pay the extra money demanded by truck-owners for transporting the purchased vegetables as those. And we were forced to pay because these are perishable items. The pressure ultimately goes onto the consumers.'

But the retail price of sugar has decreased a little over the last week in the capital.

On Friday, the prices of almost all other essential commodities, including rice, remained unchanged in the city market compared to the previous week.

At Kawran Bazar kitchen market on Friday, sugar was being retailed at Tk 58 to Tk 60 per kg, down by Tk 2 over the week.

The price of coarse rice at Polashi kitchen market on Friday ranged between Tk 30 and Tk 34 per kg, medium-grade rice between Tk 36 and Tk 40 and the fine varieties of rice between Tk 38 and Tk 50 per kg, posting no change over the week.

The price of loose flour, however, declined by Tk 2 per kg over the week. It was selling at Tk 26 to Tk 28 on Friday.

But the price of packaged flour remained unchanged at Tk 33 to Tk 34 per kg.

 The potato price has eased by Tk 2 per kg over the week to stand at Tk 9 per kg on Friday.

On Friday, loose soya bean oil was selling at Tk 103 to Tk 106 per litre, super palm oil at Tk 94 to Tk 95, and packaged soya bean oil at Tk 115 per litre at the city markets.

The imported varieties of onion were being retailed at Tk 20 to Tk 22 per kg on Friday, but the prices of local varieties have decreased by Tk 2 per kg over the week and they were selling at Tk 22 to Tk 26 on the day.

 On Friday, the local variety of red lentil was being sold for Tk 90 to Tk 95 a kg and the Nepali variety for Tk 96 to Tk 102 per kg.

Beef was being sold on the day at Tk 250 to Tk 260 per kg and broiler at Tk 125 to Tk 130 per kg.

Source: New Age