Vegetable prices have started to fall in Rangpur's markets, with most vegetables cheaper than last week. In particular, cucumbers that sold for Tk 60 to 70 a kg at the start of the Ramadan fast now sell for Tk 15 to 20 a kg in retail markets. Aubergine has risen slightly, while prices of fish, meat, oil, rice and other essentials are unchanged.

A visit to various markets in Rangpur city on Tuesday (19 April) found bottled soybean oil selling at Tk 160 a litre and Tk 760 for five litres at retail, while loose soybean oil sold at Tk 180, the same as last week.

Broiler chicken fell by Tk 5 to 10 from last week to Tk 140 to 150 a kg at retail. Pakistani chicken sold at Tk 260 to 270 as last week, and Pakistani layers at Tk 240 to 250 a kg. Local chicken prices fell by Tk 10 to 20 from last week to Tk 440 to 450.

There was little change in beef, which sold at Tk 630 to 650 a kg, while goat meat sold at Tk 850 to 900 a kg.

Al Amin, a chicken trader at Amtola bazar, said prices had started to fall because more chickens were arriving in the market, with broilers selling Tk 5 to 10 cheaper than last week. But these prices will not hold, he said, as they could rise just before Eid.

At retail, tomatoes sold at Tk 20 to 25 a kg as before, carrots at Tk 25, bitter gourd at Tk 55 to 60, ushte (small bitter gourd) at Tk 60, thin aubergines at Tk 35 to 40 as last week, and round aubergines up Tk 10 to 15 at Tk 50 to 60. Beans sold at Tk 25 to 30, cucumbers down from Tk 35 to 40 to Tk 15 to 20, papaya at Tk 25, lemons at Tk 20 to 25 a hali (four), green chillies down from Tk 70 to 80 to Tk 45 to 50, and dried chillies at Tk 350.

Bottle gourd sold at Tk 40 to 45 a piece, green bananas at Tk 20 to 25 a hali, okra at Tk 35 to 40, yard-long beans at Tk 40 to 45, dudhkushi at Tk 40 to 50, pointed gourd at Tk 50, drumsticks down Tk 10 to 20 at Tk 40 to 50, sweet pumpkin at Tk 15 to 20 a kg, all kinds of leafy greens at Tk 10 a bundle, and both local and Indian onions at Tk 25 to 30.

Ash gourd sold at Tk 35 to 40 depending on size, ridge gourd down Tk 10 to 15 from last week at Tk 60 to 70, ginger at Tk 70 to 80, garlic at Tk 50 to 60, and poultry eggs at Tk 32 to 33 a hali at retail.

Cardinal potatoes were available at Tk 14 to 15 as last week, and shil potatoes at Tk 25 to 26.

Khairul Islam, a farmer of Mominpur union in Sadar upazila, said he had grown cucumbers on one and a half bighas of land. He now has to sell them at the wholesale market for Tk 200 a maund, or else they will rot in the field. That works out at Tk 5 a kg, and facing heavy losses, Khairul now does not know what to do.

Monju Mia, a vegetable seller at City Bazar, said few cucumbers came to the market at the start of Ramadan, so prices were high. Now farmers are picking cucumbers from their fields and supply has risen, so it is natural that prices will fall.

Loose sugar sold at Tk 80 and packaged sugar at Tk 85, chickpeas at Tk 80, medium lentils at Tk 100, fine lentils at Tk 130, packaged flour (atta) at Tk 40 and loose at Tk 36 to 38, and packaged refined flour (maida) at Tk 55 to 60.

Retail rice prices changed little over the week. Swarna (coarse) sold at Tk 46 to 48 as before, BR-29 up Tk 3 at Tk 58, B-28 at Tk 58 to 60 as before, miniket at Tk 68 and nazirshail at Tk 75 a kg.

All kinds of fish were selling at last week's prices.

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