After the Qurbani Eid there was little buying or selling at Dhaka's big kitchen markets and fish and fruit depots. The capital, emptied by the Eid holiday, left its mark on the wholesale markets too. On the day after Eid a fair number of shops selling vegetables, fish and fruit were open, with prices higher or lower depending on the item.

That was the scene in the markets of Jatrabari on Friday (29 May). No fresh vegetables, fruit or fish had come in, and although traders had opened their shops, the depot as a whole was empty.

In the market, cucumber and okra were cheaper, tomatoes were unchanged and spiny gourd dearer. Hilsa prices had fallen a little, while rui, pabda, prawns and tengra had risen. Wholesalers and fish sellers said the prices of hilsa and other fish could rise from the next day, because there were no customers that day and prices would go up once people returned.

Among other vegetables, sweet pumpkin was available at Tk 40 a kg and bottle gourd at Tk 40 to 50, cheaper than before Eid.

Two men were loading tomatoes, cucumber, aubergine, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, taro stolons, sweet pumpkin, bottle gourd, okra and litchis bought at the Jatrabari depot into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw to take to Narail Bazar in Keraniganj. One of them, Palash, told Jago News that a basket (khanchi) of litchis that cost Tk 2,200 before Eid had risen to Tk 3,600. Himsagar mangoes, however, were Tk 70 to 80 a kg, lower-quality mangoes Tk 50 to 60, and green mangoes Tk 140 to 180 or up to Tk 200 depending on size.

The retailer said vegetable supply had not yet resumed and new consignments could take more time. Meanwhile many sellers had cut some prices to clear stock they already held.

Kamrul, a retailer at the market, told Jago News vegetable prices had fallen noticeably after Eid. Green chillies that sold at Tk 80 to 110 a kg before Eid had come down to Tk 75 to 80. Tomatoes were unchanged at Tk 90 to 100 a kg. Cucumber was down Tk 40 a kg at Tk 50 to 60. Pointed gourd was Tk 40, and aubergine had fallen from Tk 80 to Tk 40. Bitter gourd was down from Tk 100 to 120 a kg to Tk 80. Okra fell from Tk 50 to 60 to Tk 30, and Tk 20 wholesale. Lemons that sold at Tk 20 to 25 a hali (four) were Tk 15 to 20.

In his view, supply was adequate but buyers were very few, the main reason prices had fallen; items people were buying less of had become a little cheaper.

Just before Eid, litchis in Dhaka markets were priced at Tk 500, Tk 450, Tk 400, Tk 350, Tk 300, Tk 250 and down to Tk 200. But that day, wholesale and retail, litchis that had cost Tk 200 were selling at Tk 300, and those that had been Tk 300 were going for Tk 400 and Tk 500.

Shariful Islam, a mango seller at Jatrabari, told Jago News that people were still worn out from slaughtering and cutting up cattle and goats, so there were few buyers and little demand. But with no fresh supply, prices had not come down and were the same as before.

The fish market also lacked buyers. Demand for fish usually drops at Eid as meat takes over, but demand for hilsa and prawns stays constant. At Eid these two had risen by Tk 250 to 300 a kg; hilsa has since fallen, while prawn prices are unchanged.

Seller Swapan Chandra Das told Jago News that two days before Eid a one-kg hilsa sold for Tk 2,200 to 2,300 but was now Tk 1,600 to 1,800. Hilsa of 400 grams were Tk 950, 600-gram fish Tk 1,000 and 700-gram fish Tk 1,200.

Golda (giant freshwater) prawns were steady at Tk 1,100 to 1,200 a kg. Sellers were asking Tk 1,600 a kg for large golda, which after bargaining settled at Tk 1,500. Bagda (tiger) prawns sold at Tk 850, Tk 800, Tk 750 and Tk 700.

Jewel, who sells pabda at the depot, told Jago News that before Eid there was plenty of fish and plenty of buyers, so prices were low. Now there were fewer customers and less fish, so pabda was Tk 350 a kg against Tk 320 before Eid. "We sell wholesale, but since there are few customers now we are selling retail too," he said.

Another fish seller said rui had been plentiful and cheap before Eid. Now customers were few, but so were rui and catla, and what rui had arrived was dear: large rui of three to three and a half kg at Tk 480 a kg, smaller ones at Tk 380 and Tk 350. Large tengra sold at Tk 650 and medium tengra at Tk 550 a kg, both cheaper before Eid, and medium tilapia at Tk 220.

Azizul Islam, a grocery seller at Jatrabari, told Jago News that those shopping now were mainly Dhaka's local residents and people whose restaurants were open.

Shopper Didarul Alam Chowdhury said he had come to buy what he needed as guests were expected after Eid. He said many items that were dear before Eid had become much cheaper, but the prices of potatoes, onions, ginger and garlic had not changed.

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