Prices of all winter vegetables have risen within a week. In the peak season, tomatoes alone are selling at Tk 100-120 a kg, and other vegetables have gone up by Tk 10-20 a kg. Although supply of all seasonal vegetables has increased, buyers remain uneasy about prices.

Vegetable prices were found to be higher on Friday (9 January) during visits to several markets in the capital, including Karwan Bazar, Nakhalpara, Hatirpool and the Mirpur-11 kitchen market.

Retailers in the capital say farmers cannot harvest vegetables in the severe cold, and prices will come down when the temperature rises.

The Meteorological Department says a mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping several districts, and there is little chance of significant change in the weather over five days. The intense cold has disrupted daily life.

Explaining the higher prices, Karwan Bazar trader Shariful Islam said fewer vegetables are coming in from outside Dhaka. In the intense cold, farmers cannot leave their homes or harvest vegetables from the fields on time and as needed, which has affected supply.

However, prices of onions, eggs, chicken and various other goods were found to be steady.

A week ago, a medium-sized cauliflower cost Tk 15-25; it is now Tk 35-40, up Tk 10-15. Radish is up Tk 10 to Tk 40 a kg and aubergine to Tk 60 a kg. Beans are up Tk 20 at Tk 50-70 a kg. Potatoes have risen slightly to Tk 25-30 a kg. Turnip, papaya and broccoli are Tk 30-50 a kg. Tomatoes are usually affordable at this time of year, but ripe, green and half-ripe tomatoes are all selling at Tk 100-120; last week ripe tomatoes cost Tk 80. Okra and pointed gourd sell at Tk 90-120 a kg.

Al Amin, a buyer at Nakhalpara market, said vegetable prices are somewhat higher and he expects them to rise further before Ramadan. Another buyer said ripe tomatoes normally cost Tk 40-50 in this season but are selling at twice that. "Traders say tomatoes are not ripening in the severe cold. Yet we see in the news that farmers don't get fair prices," he said.

As last week, a dozen brown farm eggs sell at Tk 105-110. Broiler chicken is Tk 155-165 a kg and Sonali chicken Tk 240-250 a kg. Beef is Tk 750-800 a kg.

Pangas sells at Tk 170-200 a kg, pabda at Tk 400-530 and koi at Tk 250-350. Rui is Tk 320-420 a kg, tilapia Tk 200-280, catla Tk 340-440 and shing Tk 340-640.

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