Heavy Rainfall Triggers Sudden Surge In Vegetable Prices

Severe rainfall across multiple districts caused a notable surge in the prices of chicken, vegetables, onions, and green chili last week, amplifying the hardships faced by consumers.

In recent days, several vegetables saw their prices increase by Tk 10-20 per kilogram, while green chili prices skyrocketed by Tk 100-120 per kilogram.

According to information from kitchen market sources, the prices of various vegetables were as follows: Brinjal ranged from Tk 90-100 per kilogram, pointed gourd and okra were priced at Tk 60-80 per kilogram, bitter gourd at Tk 80-100 per kilogram, clocasia stem at Tk 100-110 per kilogram, cucumber at Tk 60-80 per kilogram, and bottle gourd ranged from Tk 50-80 per piece, varying by market and quality.

Green chili was being sold at prices ranging from Tk 220-260 per kilogram on Thursday.

Abdul Kader, a vegetable vendor in Dhanmondi-15, noted that the vegetable supply had decreased, causing prices to rise by Tk 12-15 per kilogram in the wholesale market. He attributed this increase to continuous rainfall in several northern and northwestern districts, which had caused substantial damage to vegetable and chili crops.

The Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) also reported on October 5 that the rise in prices at village wholesale markets was responsible for the increased prices of green chili, okra, and pointed gourd.

Meanwhile, the price of broiler chicken continued to climb, showing an additional increase of Tk 10-15 per kilogram in the last seven days and reaching Tk 195-210 per kilogram on Thursday.

Potato prices also rose by Tk 2.0-5.0 per kilogram, with white potatoes being sold at Tk 50-55 per kilogram and red cardinal potatoes at Tk 60-64 per kilogram, defying the government's fixed rate of Tk 36.

Onion prices increased by Tk 10 per kilogram, with local onions priced at Tk 90-95 per kilogram and imported Indian varieties at Tk 75-80 per kilogram, surpassing the maximum retail price of Tk 65 per kilogram set by the commerce ministry.