Lemon rises Tk10-25 per piece, aubergines reach Tk80-140 per kg
Last week, four pieces of medium-sized lemon was sold at Tk40, but now they are selling at Tk80
On the first day of Ramadan, the prices of lemons, cucumbers, and aubergines — three major ifter ingredients – skyrocketed in the capital's market today.
Within a week, the price of lemons almost doubled. Depending on the size, a set of four lemons was selling for Tk40–100, aubergines between Tk80 and Tk140 per kilogram, while cucumbers sold for Tk60–80 per kilogram.
Visits to markets in Karwan Bazar, Kalyanpur, and Hatirpool in the capital today revealed that small-sized lemons sold for Tk40 per set of four, medium-sized lemons for Tk80, and large lemons for Tk100 per set of four.
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"The price of lemons has doubled in just one week. I am selling small lemons at Tk40 per hali [four pieces]. Large lemons are selling wholesale at Tk20 per piece, so I haven't brought those for sale," said Abdul Karim, a vegetable seller in the Kalyanpur New Market area.
He said the demand for lemons increases during Ramadan as people make lemonade. "The supply of lemon is low since it is not its peak season," Karim added.
At least five other sellers in the market echoed the same as Karim. They said most lemon trees now bear small fruits or flowers, and the lemons available in the market are of the variety that grows round the year but yields fewer fruits.
Mohammad Firoz, a customer who bought four small lemons for Tk50 at Kalyanpur, said the demand for lemons increases during Ramadan, pushing up the prices.
"Products with lower demand do not see a price hike. This is normal," he added.
Meanwhile, cucumbers were selling for Tk55-60 per kilogram, although the price was Tk30-35 a week ago.
Seller Shamsul Islam said, "A week ago, I bought 40 kilograms of cucumber for Tk900-1,000 in the wholesale market. But now I have to pay Tk1,400-1,500. Last week, I sold cucumbers at Tk30-35 per kilogram, but now I am selling them at Tk60-70."
He added that the price of tomatoes has not increased and is selling at Tk25 per kilogram, while green chillies are selling at Tk60 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, the price of broiler chicken fell by Tk10 per kilogram in two days and sold at Tk200 per kilogram. Sugar sold at Tk130 per kilogram.
Visiting several areas in the capital, it was found that bottled soybean oil was still not available in most grocery stores. Sellers have been reporting a shortage of bottled oil for almost 20 days.
Two months ago, farmers in Kurigram sold aubergines wholesale at Tk6 per kilogram. At that time, news reports highlighted that farmers were unable to cover their production costs from aubergine cultivation. However, due to higher demand and a lack of proper market monitoring, prices have now increased significantly, experts say.
According to the information provided by the Department of Agricultural Marketing today, the wholesale price of aubergines should be reasonably set at Tk29 per kilogram.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, which monitors market prices in the capital, has reported price changes for several commodities. According to its data, on the first day of Ramadan, the price of cucumbers ranged between Tk30 and Tk80 per kilogram, whereas last week, it was Tk20–60. Similarly, the price of long aubergines was Tk40–80 per kilogram, up from Tk20–60 last week.
Last year, The Business Standard published a report analysing data from several retail and wholesale markets in the capital on the first day of Ramadan. The report found that aubergines were selling at Tk100–120 per kilogram, depending on the market. Similarly, local cucumbers were priced at Tk140 per kilogram, while ordinary-quality lemons were sold at Tk60–80 per set of four.
