Early winter veggies bring price relief

An influx of early-season winter vegetables has begun to lower prices in Dhaka’s retail markets, offering some respite to consumers facing persistent inflation.

The arrival of seasonal produce such as beans, cauliflower, cabbage, and radish has somewhat eased the financial pressure on households. However, the relief is not yet universal across the vegetable section.

While prices for some items have decreased, several key vegetables, including tomatoes, green chilies, carrots, and round eggplant (gol begun), are still retailing at steep prices.

Simultaneously, the fish and meat markets show no significant change, with prices holding firm at the elevated levels of the previous week.

Consequently, despite lower spending on certain vegetables, consumers are still paying high prices for protein sources.

These market trends were observed on Friday across various markets in the capital’s Mohammadpur areas.

Market checks confirm that while increased supply has reduced the cost of some winter vegetables, others remain beyond the reach of many buyers.

Retail prices for beans (shim) range between Tk 60-80 per kg. Cauliflower is selling for Tk 40-50 per piece, and cabbage costs Tk 50-60 per piece, depending on size.

Radish (mula) is priced at Tk 40-60 per kg. Sponge gourd (dhundal), ridge gourd (jhinga), and white yam (mete aloo) are all available at Tk 60 per kg.

While most varieties of eggplant sell for Tk 40-70 per kg, the round eggplant commands a high price of Tk 120 per kg.

In contrast, tomatoes and green chilies are both priced at Tk 120 per kg. Carrots are selling for Tk 140 per kg. Cucumber prices vary by type, with local varieties at Tk 80 per kg and hybrid varieties at Tk 60 per kg.

Okra (dherosh) and taro (kochu mukhi) are Tk 50-60 per kg, while yardlong beans (borboti), bitter gourd (korola), and teasle gourd (kakrol) range from Tk 60-80 per kg.