Vegetables also become luxury items for most people

Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, the economy of Bangladesh is in great turmoil with food inflation continuing to rise.

As a result, the sources of animal protein such as fish, meat and eggs have long ago gone beyond the capacity of middle class people, let alone the poor people.

Prices of staples such as rice, pulses, flour, sugar and edible oil have stabilised at high prices which are exorbitant to most people.

But of late, the price of all vegetables has also gone up due to an apparent shortage of supply.

The retail price of most vegetables is around Tk 100 per kg. The price of some vegetables that never crossed Tk 70 or 80 has crossed Tk 100 per kg.

A few days ago, the government has made itself a laughing stock by its failure to contain prices of eggs, onion and potato by fixing their prices. They could not implement it.

Now the prices of most vegetables are so high that it is not possible even for people who are known to be financially well-off.

A normal variety of brinjal is now selling at Tk 100 to 120 per kg while one will have to count Tk 140 to 150 for a kg of good quality brinjal.

Tomatoes and carrots are being sold at Tk 100 to 120 per kg, and a kg of beans is selling at Tk 200 to 220.

Anyone who is accustomed to prices of vegetables knows that never before in Bangladesh the prices of vegetables went up to this level.

With the arrival of winter vegetables after a few weeks or a month, the prices of vegetables will hopefully come down, but take it for sure, in these times of ongoing food inflation one can hardly expect that s/he can buy vegetables this year at the rates of previous years this time.

In Bangladesh, there are now many people who, for health reasons, now take only vegetables or more vegetables than foods that come from animal sources.

Before, they did not have to spend much for a platter of rice, pulses and vegetables. That time is over now.