Taking advantage of the worsening flood situation in several parts of the country green chilli sellers have increased the price of the essential item in the city markets. Varieties of local green chillies are being sold at Tk 400 per kg and hybrid green chilli at Tk 320 on Friday.
A seller at Karwan Bazar said, "When the price of green chillies increases, people rush to buy it in bulk and start hoarding it. This leads to supply shortages amid increased demand. Eventually it pushes the price further up," he added.
Arif Hossain, a consumer, said the market was being made unstable under the pretext of heat wave, increase in freight cost during Eid holidays and the widespread flood in the country.
Another buyer, Ansar Ali, said the price of green chilli would rise again to Tk 1,000 and requested the government to import green chilli from abroad.
Green chilli reached record highs of more than Tk 1,000 per kg in June and July of last year.
Sohan Ahmed, a private employee, returned to Dhaka after the Eid holiday and came to the capitals Malibagh Kitchen Market for the first time on Friday.
He was really surprised when he went to buy green chillies. Because in the market, the asking price of green chilli was Tk 400 per kg and the hybrid variety Tk 320.
Sohan said, "I was surprised at the price of chilli. I came to the market for the first time after Eid, I had no idea that the price of green chilli has increased so much.
All of a sudden, the sellers have increased the price. We the buyers are always hostage to the sellers and unscrupulous business syndicates.
They are raising prices whenever they want. Why do we buy the local green chiilli at such a high price? A kg of green chilli will cost Tk 400
in two days time? This is not acceptable. All of a sudden, the price is so high, yet I was forced to buy a fistful of green chilli for Tk 100."
When asked why the price of green chilli suddenly increased, Shamsur Rahman, the seller in Mohakhali Kitchen Market said, "The price of green chilli in the wholesale market is much higher than before.
The supply in the market is low, we have to buy chilli at a higher price in the wholesale market.
That is why the impact has come to the retail market. In the next few days, the price of green chilli will remain high due to low supply in the market.
Again, when we can buy green chilli from the wholesale market at a relatively low price, then we can sell the stuff to the buyers at a low price."
Shariful Islam, a vegetable seller at Karwan Bazar Kitchen Market in the capital, said that a few days ago, the wholesale price of green chilli fell to Tk 800 per palla (5 kg). Now the price of that chilli is Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,400.
And the price of local green chilli is falling between Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,600. Thats why green chillies are selling between Tk 320 to Tk 400 in the retail market.
He also said that the supply of green chilli in the market is very less. The main reason for this is that the season of green chilli is over.
The chilli that is coming to the market now are the seasons concluding harvest of chillies from the field. As a result, the supply in the market is much less than the demand. This price increase will last until the new green chilli arrives.
Visiting different kitchen markets including Karwan Bazar, Mohakhali, Malibagh, and Hatirpool, this Correspondent observed that there are few customers in the markets. But vegetables, meat, egg and chicken were selling at higher prices.
Beef is being sold at Tk 800 to Tk 850 per kg in the market. Besides, mutton is being sold at Tk 1,050 to Tk 1,200 per kg and mutton (goat) at Tk 1,000.
Although the meat prices are up, vegetable remains steady in Dhaka kitchen markets.
Buyers say regular market monitoring is not done. Taking advantage of this the traders get the opportunity to increase the prices of essentials as they wish.
The traders said that after Eid-ul-Azha, there is usually low demand for broiler chicken in the market so the price declines.
But this time that picture was not seen in the market. Some unscrupulous traders are increasing the prices at will. Regular raids by market monitors will reduce the undue profiteering of the dishonest business people.
Among other vegetables, kakarol is being sold at Tk 80 per kg, round brinjal at Tk 80 per kg, long eggplant at Tk 60 per kg, green papaya at Tk 60 per kg, jali at Tk 50 to Tk 60 per piece, sweet pumpkin at Tk 40 per kg, Dhundal Tk 60 per kg, Corolla Tk 80 per kg, Patal Tk 50 to Tk 60 per kg, Carrot Tk 80 per kg, Kachur Mukhi Tk 100 per kg, Lemon Tk 60 per hali.
