Poll holiday disrupts kitchen market

Sr. Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj :

The general holiday declared for the 13th National Parliament election, referendum has caused instability in the daily commodities market in Kishoreganj.

Limited movement of goods and partial closure of wholesale warehouses have reduced supply. This has directly affected the prices of chicken, onion and various vegetables.

Immediately after the election, the prices of broiler and golden chicken increased by tk.10 to 20 per kg. Currently, broiler is being sold in the market for between 170 and tk.210 , and golden chicken being sold for tk.290 to 3OO per kg. Sellers said that the prices are not being reduced due to insufficient supply from farms.

There is no relief in the onion market either. Old local onions are being sold for tk. 110 to 125. However, due to the supply of new cut onions, they are available for tk.50 to 60 depending on the quality. In some places, the price has increased by about tk.10 per kg.

A visit to Bara Bazar, Puranthana and kachari Bazar vegetable market showed that the price of almost every vegetable tk.10 to 20 higher per kg compared to before the election. Cucumber is being sold for tk. 80 to 90, tomato for tk 35 to to 50 and green chilli for tk. 120 to 130 . Beans, radish and papaya are being sold for tk. 40 to 60 and brinjal for tk.70 to 75 .

Traders said that due to the restrictions on vehicle movement on and before the election day, there was a problem in reaching the wholesale market to the retail level. Due to the limited transport movement, the fare has increased by one and a half to two times, which has directly affected the price of raw materials. Many fewer goods-laden vehicles were seen at various warehouses than usual.

On the other hand, the presence of buyers in the market is also low. Due to low sales, many shopkeepers and mobile vendors did not bring vegetables, and some shops were even closed.

Saiful a vendor in Bara Bazar said that both supply and buyers are low. So even if the price has increased slightly, it is under control. If there were buyers like in normal times, the price would have increased further.

According to traders, most vegetables cannot be stored for more than a day or two. If transportation is normalized, supply in the market will increase and prices will also come down. They hope that the market situation will start to normalize when banks and commercial activities are fully resumed from February 15.

However, the prices of groceries like oil, sugar and eggs did not change much. Eggs remained stable at Tk 110 to 115 per dozen.