As food prices bite, households turn to ‘slightly rotten’ vegetables

When traders from across the country bring truckloads of vegetables to Dhaka's Karwan Bazar, a portion of the produce inevitably ends up rotting or damaged. Retailers, being unwilling to purchase partially spoiled, peeled, or damaged vegetables, sell them to a group of small vendors. These vendors, in turn, sell these partially perished or damaged vegetables in smaller portions known as ‘bhaga’ on the streets.

These street-side portions of vegetables are available in Karwan Bazar and Tejgaon.

Due to financial constraints, these small traders cannot afford to rent a proper shop and sell vegetables at higher prices. Simultaneously, their customers lack the purchasing capacity to visit regular markets.

Not only individuals from lower-income groups but also those experiencing financial difficulties turn to these small street-side vegetable vendors, albeit reluctantly.

On a recent Saturday, vendors were observed sitting on the streets of Karwan Bazar with such vegetables. They displayed the good parts salvaged from partially rotten or pest-infested ones, dividing them into small portions or ‘bhaga’.

Shanu Begum, one of the vendors, purchased beans for Tk 280, potatoes for Tk 150-280, and spring onions for Tk 180. The pricing was based on the portion fitting on the weighing balance, and she sold each portion containing around 250 grams of vegetables for Tk 20.

"I have no one to feed me. I don’t have enough money either. That’s why I have to be a vegetable vendor at this age. If I had money, I could have bought better veggies and sold them," said sexagenarian Shanu Begum.

She makes a daily profit of Tk 200-300 and shared her strategy of selecting the cheapest vegetables in large amounts for the portions. Shanu sold three kilograms of cucumber in three portions at Tk 50, while the shops sold a kilogram of cucumber for Tk 50.

Typically, these vendors conclude their sales by noon. On average, a vendor sells veggies for Tk 50-60 per kg, making a daily profit ranging from Tk 300 to Tk 400.

Despite an increase in the supply of winter vegetables, prices remain relatively high, prompting individuals from lower-income groups to prefer buying from these makeshift shops.

"Earlier, we had to sit for a long time to sell out veggies. Also, it was mostly the poor coming to buy vegetables from us. Now everyone comes, and the vegetables are sold off quite quickly," said Shanu Begum.

Sabuj Mia, a customer, said, "With the existing prices of essentials, we try to buy from these makeshift shops to save some money. I can’t make it if I buy from the shops."

While most vendors sell vegetables they purchase from wholesalers at a lower price, some gather discarded vegetables at night, cut off the bad parts, and sell them at a cheaper rate in the morning.

"I pick up the [discarded or leftover] veggies from the market and then sell them here. I managed to run my family with this. On average, I make Tk 300-400 per day," said Zahura Khatun, another vendor.

However, she added that despite obtaining the vegetables for free, she has to pay Tk 50 per day to sell them.