Jumbangla Desk: Two and a half months have passed since the interim government took over, but there has been no relief in the commodity market. Due to supply shortage, there has been a big jump in the prices of daily commodities including vegetables. Common people are struggling to cope with the pressure of this increased price of daily commodities. Not only the low-income people, but also the middle class are struggling to make ends meet.
Common people are not able to cope even after cutting expenses in various ways. Because the cost of living has increased but the income has not increased.
Although the government has taken various measures to control the situation, the market is still unstable. Although the prices of some products, including eggs, have decreased slightly in the last two-three days, the overall effect has not been felt in the market.
In the capital's retail market, most of the vegetables are still being sold at a price of more than Tk 100 per kg. Consumers have to buy vegetables like rinds and potol at 90 to 100 taka per kg. From rice, onion, eggs, chicken, fish and edible oil, there is no such daily commodity, which has no relief in price.
On Thursday, the capital's wholesale Karwan Bazar and retail Mohakhali Kachha Bazar, Badda and Jorsahara Bazar were visited. Still most of the vegetables and chicken are being sold at high prices in the markets.
However, the prices of some vegetables, including eggs, green chillies, have been seen to be slightly reduced in the space of a week. A few days ago, the price of chicken eggs per dozen in the retail market increased from Tk 180 to Tk 190. Now selling at 160 to 170 taka. Eggs are being sold at 150 rupees per dozen in Karwan Bazar. At present, both imported and domestic types of green chillies are being sold in the market.
A few days ago, on the pretext of supply shortage, raw chillies were sold up to Tk 600 per kg in the market of the capital. But the price has come down and now it is being sold in retail at 320 taka per kg. Apart from reducing the prices of these products, all other vegetables are still being sold at high prices. Round brinjal 160 to 200 taka per kg, long brinjal 120 to 140 taka, rind, patol taka 90 to 100 per kg, bitter gourd taka 120, barbati taka 120 to 140 taka, chichinga-dhundal taka 100, potato taka 60, papaya taka 50 per kg and Each piece of long gourd is being sold at 80 to 100 taka.
Meanwhile, from the wholesale market to the retail market, the price of different types of vegetables varies from Tk 20 to Tk 60 per kg. Yesterday in Karwan Bazar, bitter gourd was sold at Tk 80 per kg, chichinga, rind and patol at Tk 60 to Tk 70, round brinjal at Tk 120 to Tk 160 per kg, green pepper at Tk 240 to Tk 260, long gourd at Tk 60 per piece, tomato at Tk 160 to Tk 180 per kg. .
People associated with the market say that the reason for the high prices of vegetables from the farmer to the consumer level is supply shortage and frequent handovers. At the consumer level, the price increases several times more than at the production level.
The vegetable seller of Badda market in the capital. Arif told Kal Kantha, 'There is a shortage in the supply of vegetables in the market, due to which the prices are not reducing much. However, the prices of green chillies and tomatoes have come down a lot. If the supply in the market increases, the price of vegetables will continue to decrease.
Citing the reasons for the big difference in prices at the wholesale and retail levels, he said, transport fares, about 25 per cent perishability of produce and extra payment to lessees increase costs. Due to this, there is a big difference in prices at the wholesale and retail levels.
It has been seen that the retail market of the capital is still selling chicken at a high price. Broiler chicken is being sold at Tk 190 to Tk 210 per kg and golden chicken at Tk 290 to Tk 300 per kg. Apart from this, local onion is being sold at Tk 110 to Tk 120 per kg, local garlic at Tk 230 to Tk 240 and imported garlic at Tk 220 per kg.
Nurul Islam, a chicken seller at Karwan Bazar, told Kal Kantha, "The supply of chicken is slightly less than the demand in the market, due to which the price is higher."
Meanwhile, the interim government has taken various steps to control the high inflation, including increasing the loan interest rate. In spite of the ongoing dollar crisis, emphasis has been placed on importing essential goods. Import duty on onion, potato, egg, sugar and edible oil has been reduced. Import of eggs from India has started. The interim government has taken various initiatives including fixing the price of eggs and chicken, various initiatives to prevent extortion, increasing the sale of products in the open market through TCB and cooperation to ensure product production and supply. Despite that, relief is not returning to the market.
Market analysts say unscrupulous syndicates of traders have become active again with extortion on roads and markets. Due to this anti-government cycle, the prices of daily commodities are not decreasing in the market. The old unscrupulous syndicates are controlling the prices of the products in the market with the old tricks. Consumers have their backs against the wall.
The prices of vegetables have started coming down in Bogra market in advance of winter. 15 days ago due to continuous rains and floods the prices of vegetables doubled. But now different types of winter vegetables are adorning the fields in different upazilas of Bogra. This early vegetable has also started to appear in the market. For this, the price has started to decrease. The prices of daily essential vegetables including potol, eggplant, kopi have reduced considerably in a span of 15 days. The price of each vegetable has decreased by Tk 200 to Tk 500 per maund in the wholesale market. Farmers say that prices are falling as vegetables start arriving in the market ahead of winter.
This information was obtained by talking to the buyers and sellers of Mahasthan Hut in Bogra, the largest vegetable market in North Bengal yesterday. It has been seen that the price of each vegetable has decreased from Tk 200 to Tk 500 per person compared to last 15 days. Among them, bitter gourd was sold at 3000 to 3200 taka 15 days ago, but yesterday it was reduced to 2600 to 2700 taka. Similarly, brinjal has been reduced from Tk 3000 to Tk 2400 to Tk 2600, Patol has been reduced from Tk 2200 to Tk 1700 to Tk 1800, Radish has been reduced from Tk 2200 to Tk 2500 and is being sold at Tk 1000 to Tk 1800.
However, the price of sweet pumpkin has increased abnormally. Earlier it was sold at Tk 45 to Tk 50 per kg but now it is being sold at Tk 60 to Tk 65 per kg. However, the price of onion has increased by Tk 10 per kg and the price of red potato has increased by Tk 5 per kg.
Habibur Rahman, a farmer who came to sell vegetables at the market, said, 'I cultivated radish on eight acres of land. Where the yield is supposed to be 30 maunds, I did not even get 12 maunds as the field was destroyed by rain. It has done a lot of damage. Because of this, the import of vegetables in the market is less. Due to non-importation and the loss of farmers, the price is also higher. When new vegetables come in the market, the price will come down.'- Kal Kanth
