People are buying fewer chillies as the price is high

In the Rampura kitchen market, a customer recently bought 250 grams of green chillies for Tk45. He managed to reduce the price by Tk5 after bargaining. After he left, the shopkeeper Monir Hossain said most of the customers buy only 100 grams of green chillis now because the price is very high.

Vendors said the price of chilli had gone up since the onset of the floods. The green chilly which used to be sold for Tk60-70 is now Tk160-180 per kg. However, some retailers have been selling it at Tk200 per kg.

However, this price is double that in the wholesale market as it is being sold in the wholesale market at Tk90-100 per kg.

Asked why the retail price is so high, Ariful, a vegetable seller in Badda, said, "The price is high because sales are low. As the sales have fallen it takes two or three days to sell after we bring chilli. And after two days, half of them rot. To cover the loss, we have to pay a higher price."

The price of green chillies has been rising for almost a month due to the floods. A week ago, the price of chilli was even higher in the wholesale market, but this has come down by Tk10 per kg. However, it has not affected the retail market as yet.

Abdul Halim, a chilli wholesaler in Karwan Bazar, said, "The supply of chillis has decreased. That's why the prices have gone up. However, the price has come down a bit in a week.

Mohammad Rubel, a buyer from the Rampura market, said he was under a lot of pressure regarding the cost of food as he had to buy everything at a higher price. For example, chilli is Tk200 per kg and almost all vegetables are above Tk50. Even the price of potatoes has increased from Tk20 to Tk35 in a month. 

According to TCB's market analysis, prices of local turmeric rose by 3.58 percent, cinnamon by about nine percent, cloves by six percent, coriander by 3.60 percent and bay leaves by 3.75 percent in a month.

However, the prices of onions and garlic is stable.

Now, before Eid-ul-Adha, the supply of broiler chickens has improved and the prices have come down. Broiler chickens are now available for Tk130-135 per kg.

According to the TCB, the price per kg has come down by 18.3 percent in a month.

However, like before, different types of vegetables are being sold at relatively high prices. There are no vegetables below Tk50.