The prices of winter vegetables in Dhaka's markets have begun to rise, creating significant discontent among consumers who are grappling with the high costs of essential goods.
Visiting kitchen markets in the capital on Thursday (7 November), such a scenario was observed.
Mamunur Rashid, a shopper, expressed his frustration, stating, "Coming to the market is a terrifying experience because of the exorbitant prices. Buying one type of vegetable means forgoing another. I never imagined winter vegetables would be this expensive."
A survey of the market revealed that potatoes were being sold at Tk70 per kilogramme, aubergines at Tk100, with red aubergines priced between Tk80 and Tk100. Prices of other vegetables included snake gourd at Tk60, papaya at Tk50, bitter gourd at Tk80, hyacinth bean at Tk160, cucumber at Tk80, tomato at Tk160, radish at Tk80, yardlong beans at Tk100, okra at Tk80, taro stems at Tk100, green chillies at Tk200, pointed gourd at Tk60, carrots at Tk200, ridge gourd at Tk80, and coriander leaves at Tk200 per kilogramme. Red amaranth, stem amaranth, radish leaves, Indian spinach, and bottle gourd leaves were being sold at Tk15, Tk15, Tk20, Tk40, and Tk50 per bunch respectively.
Additionally, wax gourd, cabbage, bottle gourd, and cauliflower were priced at Tk80, Tk60, Tk80, and Tk60 per piece.
Ariful Islam, a resident of Khilgaon, lamented, "It is incredibly challenging for middle-class families like ours to shop for groceries. After buying vegetables, there's no money left to even think about purchasing fish or meat. If the government does not pay special attention to the market, families like ours will starve."
When asked about the high prices, a vegetable vendor named Akram explained, "We have to buy everything at a higher cost, so we sell at a slightly higher price. If we were to sell at a lower price, we'd face losses."
The fish market echoed a similar trend, with prices for all types of fish having increased by Tk10 to Tk20.
Pangasius fish was being sold at Tk160 per kg, tilapia at Tk160 to Tk200, catfish at Tk550, singhi at Tk400 to Tk420, koi at Tk230, bhetki at Tk600, ayre at Tk500, pabda at Tk320, small boal at Tk350, poa fish ranging from Tk300 to Tk450, rui at Tk340 to Tk360, shoal at Tk500 to Tk600, katla at Tk320 to Tk360, small hilsa at Tk700 to Tk900, silver carp at Tk180 to Tk200, sarputi at Tk220, mrigel at Tk260, nola at Tk240, large prawns at Tk680 to Tk700, small prawns at Tk640, and bailla fish at Tk240 per kilogramme.
In the meat and egg market, broiler chicken was being sold at Tk180 per kg, red layer chicken at Tk300, white layer chicken at Tk250, and Pakistani chicken at Tk300, while beef was priced at Tk750 per kg. Duck eggs were being sold at Tk85 per four pieces or Tk255 per dozen. Farm-produced white eggs were priced at Tk50 per four pieces and Tk150 per dozen, and red eggs at Tk55 per four pieces and Tk155 per dozen.
