No sign of fall in onion, veg prices

While onion prices are touching sky height, various seasonal vegetables have also become dearer, hitting consumers in the capital hard.

Ministers and government officials repeatedly said prices of onion would drop soon, the consumers were yet to get any respite.

Officials of the commerce ministry said there was a shortage of onion in the market as the expected quantity of imported onion was yet to arrive.

Local onions were being sold between Tk 220 and 240 a kg in the retail market and the imported ones between Tk 150 and Tk 200 a kg.

Abdul Momen, an onion trader at Karwan Bazar, said onion prices came down by Tk 10 a kg in the wholesale market in the last two days.

Cauliflower, cucumber, cabbage, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, and other seasonal vegetables are available in the capital’s kitchen market, but these were priced between 50-100 a kg.

Visiting various kitchen markets yesterday, it was found that the supply of vegetables was good yet prices were high.

Sellers said there was no crisis of vegetable supply but the price in the wholesale market was high. Thus the retailers are forced to buy at higher prices.

Saiful Islam, a vegetable wholesaler at Karwan Bazar said, ''Vegetables were damaged by cyclone [Bulbul] and rain. So, the production was hampered. So, we have to buy and sell vegetables at high prices.''

Except for old potato and papayas, no vegetable was seen selling below Tk 40 a kg.

''I didn’t buy vegetables at such high prices in the winter season. But if prices remain high, then how will we buy vegetables?'' said Sayma Begum, a resident of Kola Bagan.

''We mostly rely on vegetables and now we cannot afford that'' Rubina Akhter, a mother of three said.

Officials said vegetable cultivation suffered damage due to heavy rain in October and the effect of Cyclone Bulbul earlier this month.