Dhaka remains unusually quiet during the extended public holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr, with many shops still shuttered and footfall in markets significantly reduced.
Yet, consumer prices show no signs of cooling.
Vegetables, rice, and meat were being sold at pre-Eid elevated rates across the capital on Friday (4 April).
A visit to several city markets and conversations with traders revealed that aubergines, cucumbers, lemons and tomatoes continued to command inflated prices.
Although demand has dropped following the Eid holidays, vendors attributed the sustained high rates to limited supply.
Wholesale traders, they claimed, have yet to return to the city, keeping the supply chain disrupted.
Additionally, the rising summer heat has begun to affect crop yields, particularly vegetables, and poultry production has also declined.
Despite falling demand, vegetable prices have remained steep.
At various markets, round green aubergines were selling for Tk60–80 per kilogramme, long aubergines for Tk100–120, and large lemons for Tk100–120 per half-dozen.
Smaller lemons fetched between Tk40–80 per half-dozen.
Hybrid cucumbers sold for Tk70–80 per kg, while the local variety ranged from Tk100–120.
Pointed gourd (potol) hovered around Tk100–120 per kg.
Bitter gourd and okra sold for Tk70–80, while cauliflowers and cabbages were priced at Tk60 apiece. Carrots and tomatoes, too, saw a price rise, reaching Tk50–60 per kg.
Amid this price surge, a few essentials remained steady: onions at Tk40–50 per kg, potatoes at Tk20–25, ginger and garlic ranging from Tk130 to Tk220.
Some relief was found in Karwan Bazar, where select vegetables were reportedly available at slightly lower prices.
Vendors like Ramzan Ali at Town Hall Market cited a double blow — wholesalers yet to return and declining field produce due to the harsh dry season — as the root causes behind the continuing price hikes.
Meat prices, too, held firm.
Although broiler chicken prices had fallen briefly at the beginning of Ramadan, they surged again closer to Eid and remained high even after the festivities.
Broiler chicken was priced at Tk220–230 per kg, Sonali chicken at Tk320–325, and local chicken at an eye-watering Tk600–650.
At Hatirpool Market, Zakir Hossain of Broiler House explained that although demand had fallen post-Eid, so had supply, keeping prices elevated. This trend was echoed across other markets.
Beef, too, remained costly, fetching Tk780–800 per kg. Eggs offered a sliver of consolation, selling at Tk120–125 per dozen.
Fish prices remained largely unchanged: Ruhi and katla ranged between Tk320–450 per kg, pabda Tk400–500, tilapia and pangas Tk180–250, tangra Tk500–1,000, and shrimp between Tk700–1,000.
The rice market told a similar story: even as sales declined, prices remained unyielding.
Miniket rice from various brands sold for Tk86–88 per kg, with top-quality Mozammel Miniket reaching Tk96.
Other popular brands — Diamond, Harin, Monjur, and Erfan — fetched Tk86–90 per kg. Rasheed rice was priced at Tk78–80. However, prices for coarse rice and Atash rice held steady at Tk52–55 and Tk58–60 per kg respectively.
Retailers like Arman Sohel of Chandpur Trading and Masum of Masum Store confirmed that pulses and oil prices also remained unchanged: Chickpeas at Tk100–110, gram lentils at Tk120, khesari lentils at Tk110, white sugar at Tk120, red sugar at Tk140, bottled soybean oil at Tk175 per litre, loose soybean oil at Tk162, and palm oil at Tk155.
In essence, Dhaka’s markets continue to serve a bitter post-Eid reality — empty alleys, but no drop in prices.
