Fruit is in great demand at iftar during the holy month of Ramadan, to meet nutritional needs after a day of fasting. But in Naogaon's markets fruit prices have been raised abnormally on the back of that demand. In three days, every local and imported fruit has risen by Tk 20 to 80 a kg, and many very poor buyers are going home empty-handed without the fruit they wanted.
Visits to markets at Gostohatir More, Bridge More and Sonapatti in the town found almost every fruit sky-high compared with before Ramadan. Watermelon now sells at Tk 90 a kg (previously Tk 60-70), papaya at Tk 80 (previously Tk 60) and malta at Tk 340 (previously Tk 280). Among imported fruit, apples were seen selling at Tk 300-440 a kg, grapes at Tk 400 and good-quality dates at up to Tk 1,500 a kg. Even a hali (four) of bananas has reached Tk 40-50.
"We leave as soon as we hear the price"
Rickshaw puller Mohammad Islam said regretfully that he had wanted to eat a little fruit with his family at iftar after fasting, but at current prices buying fruit is impossible for people like him. "Income has fallen and fruit prices have risen, so we leave as soon as we hear the price," he said.
An office worker who did not want to be named said traders were raising prices through a syndicate on various pretexts. With no budget for watermelon, he was going home with only two hali of bananas.
Fruit sellers deny the syndicate allegation. Shahjahan Ali, a seller at "Asha Fal Bhandar", said the sudden rise in demand in Ramadan has made prices high in the wholesale market itself. Because of transport costs and supply shortages they are forced to buy at higher prices, so retail prices are affected too.
Naogaon's additional deputy commissioner (general), Sadia Afrin, said: "Raising prices in Ramadan has become a trend. Executive magistrates of the district administration will soon launch drives alongside consumer rights officials to keep the prices of daily essentials and fruit bearable. Strict action will be taken against anyone forming a syndicate."
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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