Vegetable supplies were very low in Dhaka's kitchen markets on Friday (29 May), the day after Eid-ul-Adha. With most traders keeping their shops shut, there was little on sale and prices went up: many vegetables cost Tk 10 to Tk 30 a kg more than before Eid.

That was the picture in the markets of Rampura, Malibagh, Khilgaon and Banasree. Neighbourhood traders said supply at the wholesale depots was also low and prices high there.

They said Friday is normally Dhaka's biggest day for vegetable sales, but because it fell the day after Eid very little stock reached the depots and not all the wholesalers were there. Short supply had pushed up wholesale prices a great deal, so retail prices were higher too.

Ripe tomatoes were selling at Tk 100 to 130 a kg, up from Tk 80 to 90 before Eid. Aubergines were Tk 80 to 90, against Tk 60 to 70 before Eid.

Bitter gourd sold at Tk 80 to 90 a kg, up from Tk 50 to 60. Spiny gourd (kakrol) was Tk 70 to 90 a kg, having been available for around Tk 60 before Eid. Okra, which sold at Tk 50 to 60 a kg before Eid, was Tk 70 to 80.

Green chillies and cucumbers were also dearer. Green chillies that sold at Tk 20 a poa (250 grams) before Eid were Tk 30 to 40, and cucumbers rose from Tk 30 to 40 a kg to Tk 60 to 70, reaching Tk 100 in some places.

Kaiser, a vegetable seller in Rampura, said many depots were closed for Eid and far fewer lorries had come in with vegetables from the villages, so supply had fallen and prices were a little higher. He expected things to return to normal in a day or two. "Eid was on Thursday. If today weren't Friday I wouldn't have opened either. Most people in Dhaka do their shopping on Friday, so I brought vegetables hoping to sell some even though it's the day after Eid," he said.

Titu Mia, who sells vegetables from a van, said everything had become dearer at the depots, so retail prices were a little higher too, with almost every vegetable up by about Tk 20 a kg on pre-Eid levels. He said he had been in business in Dhaka for seven years and that vegetable sales are very low for a few days after the Qurbani Eid. Because it was Friday he hoped to sell something, so he had brought a small amount of stock; the depots had also received little.

Md Bakul, another vegetable seller, said it was normal for prices to stay a little high after Eid. Several days of continuous rain had also damaged vegetable fields, and in that light prices had risen relatively little. Demand was comparatively low, he said, as most people had gone to their villages for Eid and those still in Dhaka had meat at home. Demand would stay low for a few more days, and he expected prices to rise further once it picked up.

Nazmul Hossain, a private-sector employee shopping in Rampura market, said everything was dearer. "You still have to run the household after Qurbani. You can't eat rice with meat alone, so I came to buy some vegetables."

At the Hajipara Boubazar in Malibagh most traders had not opened, with only a few sitting with vegetables. It was the same at Taltala in Khilgaon.

Kamal Mosharraf, who bought tomatoes and other vegetables at Khilgaon Taltala, said he had paid Tk 80 for a kilo of ripe tomatoes before Eid but was charged Tk 120 today, while okra he bought at Tk 60 a kg before Eid now cost Tk 80. "We gave Qurbani and several meat dishes were cooked at home. But how many times can you eat only meat? If I don't eat some vegetables I'll fall ill, so I'm taking some home," he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.