Prices of imported fruit, and of local fruit alongside them, have risen within the past day or two of Ramadan, and the markets are also full of low-quality fruit.

Traders say prices started climbing again as soon as war broke out in Iran. Buyers say the market is unstable because there is no monitoring by the administration and because of traders' reckless decisions. This was the picture at several markets in Savar, on the edge of the capital, on Friday (6 March).

Prices were high at the start of Ramadan but eased about a week later. Now they have begun to rise again, and some imported fruits have become a luxury for ordinary people.

At Baipail, Savar's largest wholesale fruit market, apples are selling at Tk 360 to Tk 400 a kg depending on quality, up from Tk 300 to Tk 320 two or three days ago.

Black grapes have risen by Tk 20 to Tk 30 a kg: sold at Tk 500 two days ago, they now cost Tk 520 to Tk 600. Green or white grapes are still Tk 400 to Tk 420. Oranges and maltas have also gone up slightly, with oranges at Tk 280 to Tk 320 a kg and maltas at Tk 310 to Tk 320. Pomegranates are steady at Tk 500 to Tk 600 a kg, where they have been since the start of Ramadan.

Fruit trader Mojibur Rahman said the market had begun to fall a few days earlier but started rising again as soon as the war in Iran began. Prices of some fruits may come down in a few days, he said.

The high price of dates, meanwhile, is stable. In Savar dates sell at Tk 200 to Tk 2,200 a kg depending on the variety: ordinary Zahidi at Tk 170-200, Khurma at Tk 350-400, Mariam at Tk 650-800, Sukkari at Tk 800-1,200, Ajwa at Tk 1,000-1,800 and Medjool at Tk 1,500-2,200.

Date trader Moktar said date prices depend on the variety and size. Prices are the same as at the start of Ramadan, he said, although some varieties have begun to get slightly cheaper.

Local fruit is also expensive. A hali (four) of Bangla bananas sold for Tk 40 to Tk 50 at the start of Ramadan and now sells for Tk 50 to Tk 60. Sabri bananas were Tk 60 to Tk 80 a hali at the start of the fast and have since gone up by another Tk 10 to Tk 20. Ordinary Champa bananas have also risen and now cost Tk 30 to Tk 40 a hali.

Papaya has also gone up, according to the report: medium ripe papaya sells at Tk 100 to Tk 150 a kg, against Tk 130 to Tk 140 at the start of Ramadan. The price of boroi (jujube), known as the ordinary person's fruit, is described as unchanged at Tk 110 to Tk 130 a kg; before Ramadan it was Tk 80 to Tk 90.

With demand high during Ramadan, watermelon prices are also rising. Watermelon sells at Tk 70 to Tk 90 a kg depending on size, so a medium one costs Tk 300 to Tk 600.

Many buyers complain that the market is flooded with low-quality fruit, and some say it is unstable because the administration does not monitor it and traders take reckless decisions.

Buyer Azahar Mia said: "I bought a watermelon for Tk 550 at Tk 70 a kg. When I got home it was white inside. All that money wasted. There is also a lot of unripe fruit on the market, and buyers are being cheated all the time."

Another buyer, Mofizul Islam, said: "I have seen the administration run drives in the rice and lentil markets, but never in Savar's fruit market. I hope they will monitor every market. Because there is no monitoring, traders form syndicates and raise prices every day on one pretext or another."

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