Most vegetables still cost above Tk 80 in Dhaka markets

Vegetable prices across markets in the capital remain stubbornly high, with most varieties still selling above Tk 80 per kilogram and some exceeding Tk 100, offering little relief to consumers despite a broadly stable supply, according to a survey of markets in various parts of Dhaka on Friday (14 August).

Prices vary somewhat by market, but most vegetables are retailing between Tk 60 and Tk 140 per kilogram: pointed gourd, brinjal, bitter gourd and stem amaranth are each selling at Tk 80, okra and cucumber at Tk 60, papaya at Tk 50, and ridge gourd and snake gourd at Tk 70. Tomatoes and carrots, meanwhile, are fetching as much as Tk 140 per kilogram, while green chillies are selling at Tk 250 and coriander leaves at a steep Tk 300 per kilogram. Although turnout at Jatrabari wholesale market was healthy on Friday morning, many buyers were seen purchasing smaller quantities, complaining that costs mount quickly once several types of vegetables are bought together -- one shopper noted that buying a kilogram each of a few varieties easily runs to Tk 500–600, making it increasingly difficult to manage vegetables alongside fish and meat expenses.

Retailers, for their part, say they bear no direct responsibility for the price hikes, attributing them instead to higher wholesale costs compounded by transport expenses, labour wages, shop overheads and losses from spoilage. One vegetable seller, Sabik Hossain, said prices for some items had eased slightly amid improved supply, but that tomatoes, carrots, chillies and coriander remained expensive, adding that retail prices would fall in tandem once wholesale rates came down. Traders more broadly attribute the price fluctuations to weather conditions, transport costs and uneven supply across markets, noting that perishability often forces them to price produce according to the day's market conditions to avoid losses.

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Consumers, however, insist that stronger regular market monitoring, coupled with curbs on unjustified price increases between wholesale and retail levels, could bring vegetable prices down to a more tolerable range. While some items have become cheaper, most vegetables continue to feel expensive to ordinary buyers, leaving shopper dissatisfaction largely unresolved despite steady footfall in the markets.