Staff Reporter :
An extreme heatwave affecting most parts of the country, including the capital city of Dhaka, has led to a noticeable decline in consumer visits to local kitchen markets.
Traders have reported fewer customers since the heatwave intensified, coinciding with significant price hikes in basic commodities such as potatoes and onions.
Post-Eid, the retail price of potatoes in Dhaka’s major markets like Karwan Bazar, Mogbazar, and Kalyanpur has surged to Tk55-Tk60 per kilogram, up from Tk48-Tk50 just before the holiday. Similarly, onion prices have escalated to Tk65-Tk70 per kilogram, marking a steep rise from their earlier rates.
According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, the prices of potatoes and onions have increased by 68% and 78% respectively over the past year. This time last year, onions were priced between Tk30-Tk40 per kilogram.
Abdus Samad, a retailer at Karwan Bazar, highlighted the wholesale price increase since Eid, “Before the holiday, I purchased potatoes at Tk38 and onions at Tk45 per kg wholesale. Post-Eid, these prices jumped to Tk45 for potatoes and Tk55 for onions per kg.”
Sah Alam, a buyer at Kalyanpur kitchen market, expressed concern over the rapid price increases, “Potatoes were harvested just a month ago, yet prices are skyrocketing and likely to climb even higher.”
Retailers like Hridoy from Mogbazar are feeling the pinch, “With onions costing Tk60 per kg including transport, and considering high shop rents, selling them at Tk70 barely covers costs.”
Mustafa Azad Chowdhury, President of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, explained that potato production has dropped by at least 20% this year due to climate change and other adverse factors, which will lead to even higher retail prices once the current stock from cold storage hits the market.
Even as the heatwave keeps customers at home, the impact is evident across all sectors of the market. Mohammad Tareq, a chicken seller in Karwan Bazar, noted a significant drop in sales, “Chicken sales have halved since many people who left the city for Eid have not returned.”
Furthermore, the government’s recent increase in bottled soybean oil prices by Tk4 per litre to Tk167 hasn’t yet affected retail prices, old prices. Ali Hossain from Yasin General Store in Karwan Bazar confirmed, “We are still selling oil at the previous price as the new stock has not yet arrived.”
As the heatwave persists, market activities remain subdued, and with essential prices on the rise, concerns are growing among the low-income population about their ability to cope with these changes.
