At a vegetable stall in the Lalbazar area of Sylhet city, a buyer asked the price of a cauliflower. "Tk 120, fixed price," the seller said. Taken aback, the buyer asked, "Can't you make it a bit less?" The seller's answer was blunt: "Take it if the price suits you."

Buyers say that although the supply of early winter vegetables is plentiful, prices in Sylhet are sky-high. At five kitchen markets in Bandarbazar, Brahmamoyee Bazar, Madina Market, Rikabibazar and Ambarkhana, cauliflower was selling at up to Tk 140 a kg in retail. Carrots were Tk 130 to 140 a kg, tomatoes Tk 100 to 120, beans Tk 90 to 120, and cucumber, cabbage and okra Tk 50 to 60. Radish, kakrol (spiny gourd), kochumukhi (taro) and aubergine were Tk 40 to 50.

Only pointed gourd and papaya were relatively cheaper, at Tk 30-40 and Tk 20 a kg. Green chillies were Tk 100 to 120 a kg, yardlong beans Tk 60 to 70 a bundle, and leafy greens were also expensive.

Traders said that once the winter season fully begins, supply will rise further and prices will fall considerably. Because early vegetables are only now starting to arrive, wholesale prices are rising, and this is feeding into retail prices.

Faruk Mia, a trader at the Brahmamoyee vegetable market, said prices are a little higher every year when early winter vegetables start coming in, but they settle to a bearable level within a few days.

Rabiul Islam, who lives in the Shahi Eidgah area of the city, said buyers are forced to pay high prices. Vegetable sellers have no answer to the question of why prices are so high when supply is so plentiful. Meanwhile, people's incomes have fallen because of the coronavirus, and the high prices have put ordinary people in difficulty. There is no market monitoring by the administration either, he said.

Sylhet's additional district magistrate (ADM) Imrul Hasan said mobile courts are run regularly to keep market prices under control, and special monitoring of vegetable markets will be carried out if needed.

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.