Generally, given bountiful supplies, vegetables’ prices fall in the peak season in winter. But currently, newly harvested potato, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, carrot, beet, turnip, tomato, leafy spinach, red spinach and very popular vegetables ‘Dabry’ and ‘Koloi’Shak are more expensive than that in previous year.
In the winter vegetables generally become affordable. But people feed the pinch of sudden skyrocketing prices of winter vegetables as the authorities concerned do not have any control over the market.
Extortionists and unholy nexus of organised syndicate are manipulating the winter vegetables market in many ways during this peak season. We have noticed over the last few days that when unscrupulous businesspeople are raising the prices of vegetables, reckless extortion through the supply chain is making essentials dearer.
Everything is happening under the very nose of the authorities concerned, but there is no one to monitor such criminal activities properly. The traders are paying toll to the extortionists during their journey from farmers end to consumer market.
There is no visible reason
behind the price hike
of vegetables
The extortion is going on unabated from morning till late night. We think there is no visible reason behind the price hike of vegetables as there is huge supply of products and down price at local markets during the peak season.
Brinjal now sells at Tk 70-80 per kg, cauliflower and cabbage at Tk 50-60 each, bottle gourd at Tk 80-100 and long-yard beans at Tk 90-100. Potato of both newly harvested and stored varieties now sells at Tk 70-90 per kg, marking an increase of Tk 20-30 per kg compared to just a week ago, according to media news. Even leafy vegetables haven't escaped the rise, costing Tk 12-35 per bunch.
We are concerned over farmers’ getting very little for their produces while extortionists and dishonest traders are taking away the lion’s share of the commodity price.
Over 50 percent of the transportation costs apparently go to the pockets of extortionists, vegetable traders and truckers alleged. On the other hand, the syndicate created by the businessmen is controlling the markets in such a way that results in increasing prices.
The government must take all-out efforts to keep prices of vegetables and essentials normal and stop extortion in the transportation of goods.