Vegetables, fish price ease amid weak demand

Rising arrivals of early winter produce and weaker holiday demand are easing prices for vegetables and fish across Dhaka’s kitchen markets.

The shift is reducing costs for some staples in the capital, but chicken and eggs remain expensive because of high wholesale and supply expenses.

However, chicken and egg prices remain high, while most grocery prices have stayed largely unchanged.
While visiting capital’s kitchen market including New Market, Lalbagh, Karwan Bazar and other kitchen markets on Friday along with conversations with buyers and sellers, revealed the trend.

Newly harvested beans are selling for Tk140-150 per kg, down Tk30-40 from Tk180 last week. Long eggplant prices have fallen by up to Tk40 to Tk80 per kg from Tk120, while green chilli prices have dropped by Tk20 to Tk130 per kg. White round eggplants are selling for Tk100 per kg.

Among other vegetables, cauliflower is selling for Tk60 per kg, pointed gourd and okra for Tk60, sponge gourd, teasel gourd and bitter gourd for Tk80, carrots for Tk100, and cucumbers for Tk70-80 per kg.

Papaya remains one of the cheapest vegetables at Tk30 per kg. Bottle gourds are selling for Tk50-60 each, depending on size, while four lemons cost Tk60.

Fish prices have also fallen as demand weakened during the Puja holidays. Large ruhi is selling for Tk350-360 per kg, catla for Tk400-420, pangas for Tk200 and pabda for Tk360 per kg. Prices of other locally available small fish have also declined.

Rashedul Islam, who was shopping for fish at New Market, said he had bought a large ruhi for Tk450 per kg four or five days earlier but found it selling for Tk350 yesterday.

The relief has yet to extend to the poultry and egg markets. Broiler chicken is selling for Tk180 per kg, Sonali chicken for Tk310-320 and layer chicken for Tk350-360.

Poultry sellers said high wholesale prices and supply costs had left little room to reduce retail rates. Eggs are selling for Tk150 per dozen, with sellers saying prices fluctuate daily and there is no immediate prospect of a decline.

Meanwhile, most grocery prices have remained largely unchanged from last week.

Packaged aromatic rice used for pilaf is selling for Tk230 per kg, while loose varieties cost Tk160-200, depending on quality. Small-grain lentils are priced at Tk140-150 per kg, coarse lentils at Tk90, large mung beans at Tk140, small mung beans at Tk170, khesari lentils at Tk85, chickpeas at Tk120, gram at Tk105 and black gram at Tk180.

Bottled soybean oil costs Tk205 per litre, while loose soybean oil sells for Tk200 per kg and loose mustard oil for Tk220 per litre. Both packaged and loose ghee cost Tk1,400 per kg, while sugar is selling for Tk110 per kg.