Prices of local and imported fruit in Jhenaidah's markets have risen abnormally since the start of Ramadan. In 10 days imported fruit has gone up by Tk 40 to 50 a kg, while local fruit has nearly doubled in price. Ordinary buyers are struggling in particular with the sky-high prices of guava, jujube (boroi) and pineapple.

Visits to Payra Chattar and other markets in the town found pineapples selling at Tk 100 each. Guava that sold at Tk 60-70 a kg a week before Ramadan now sells at Tk 120. Likewise, jujube that was Tk 50-60 now costs Tk 100 to 120, and watermelon sells at Tk 90-100. Locally grown dragon fruit has risen by Tk 100-120 a kg to Tk 300 to 350.

Among imported fruit, Australian apples sell at Tk 420 a kg, malta at Tk 350 and grapes at Tk 400. Pomegranate (bedana or anar) has risen by about Tk 100 a kg to Tk 560 to 580.

Traders said wholesale fruit prices were low until about a week before Ramadan. Although imports and supply of fruit are normal, the prices of import-dependent foreign fruit are being raised at the wholesale depots (arats), and retailers are forced to sell with a small margin.

They added that until 10 February apples sold at Tk 370/380 a kg, malta at Tk 300/320 and pomegranate at Tk 480/500. A week before Ramadan, locally grown guava sold at Tk 60/70 a kg, jujube at Tk 50/60, watermelon at Tk 60/70 and dragon fruit at Tk 200/230. But as soon as Ramadan began, these fruits rose by about Tk 60 to 70 a kg.

Fruit trader Rakibul Islam said retailers could do nothing: they buy fruit from the depots and sell with a small profit. There is not much profit in imported fruit, and buyers show little interest in local fruit. All in all, doing business is becoming hard.

Another seller, Sharif Hossain, said the prices of dates, apples, oranges, malta and watermelon had risen a little. Demand for these fruits rises in the month of fasting, and with short supply a price rise is natural. But this Ramadan fruit prices are within buyers' reach compared with other years, he said. Because fruit is perishable, much of it spoils during transport and loading and unloading, and business has to account for all that.

A buyer, Naznin Nahar Rikta, said that in most countries prices of fruit and daily essentials are cut in Ramadan, but in Bangladesh traders raise the price of everything when Ramadan comes. The rise in fruit prices speaks for itself, she said: local guava normally costs Tk 50 to 60 a kg, but as soon as Ramadan arrived it passed Tk 100.

Nishat Meher, assistant director of the district office of the Directorate of National Consumers' Rights Protection, said traders have been fined through mobile courts for market monitoring and breaches of the law, and quick action is taken as soon as complaints come from consumers.

Deputy Commissioner Md Abdullah Al Masud said mobile courts led by executive magistrates are regularly monitoring markets at district and upazila level. The district administration is working with top priority to keep the prices of daily essentials and fruit within people's reach during Ramadan, he said.

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