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Vegetable prices have shot up further in the city in a week amid the ongoing flood that caused severe damage to crops in many producing hubs.
Most vegetables witnessed 50-80 per cent hike in prices in last seven days raising sufferings of commoners struggling with income decline due to the pandemic.
Brinjal prices reached Tk 90-110 a kg on Tuesday which was hardly Tk 60 a kg a week back.
Seasonal pointed gourds, sponge, ridge, teasel and snake gourds were selling at Tk 60-80 a kg, yard-long been Tk 80-90, cucumber Tk 50-70, eddo Tk 60, medium-sized bottle and ash gourd Tk 50-70 a piece on Tuesday, according to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM).
Leafy of different species were sold at Tk 15-40 a bunch on the day.
Mint prices shot up to Tk 750-800 a kg which normally remains Tk 180-300 a kg throughout the year.
Green papaya was the cheapest veggie to sell at Tk 40-50 a kg on the day.
Green chilli and tomato prices remained static at Tk 180-220 a kg and Tk 120-130 a kg respectively on the day.
Potato price further increased by Tk 5.0 a kg resulting in selling the item at Tk 38-45 a kg based on varieties.
Md Ekabbor, a vegetable trader at Sadeq Khan Agricultural Market in Rayer Bazar-Beribadh area in the city, said flood and heavy rain damaged vegetable fields in most of the key hubs this year.
He said water is yet to recede in many areas in Rangpur, Bogura, Pabna, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Faridpur and Cumilla regions.
Supply of the produce declined 30-40 per cent in last two weeks which fuelled up the prices, he said.
Brinjal is selling at Tk 55-60 a kg in Narshindi and Bogura which was maximum Tk 30 a kg two weeks back.
He said green chilli supply from domestic market declined more than by 80 per cent.
He said imported green chilli, tomato and coriander leaf are meeting local demand for those veggies.
He said prices of vegetable might remain higher for the rest of the months of this year amid waterlogging in the districts.
However, the agriculture ministry recorded nearly 10,000 hectares of veggie fields that were completely damaged by the ongoing flood while farmers incurred a loss of Tk 2.35 billion.
Apart from vegetable, prices of onion, ginger also rose in a week.
Onions are selling at Tk 30-40 (imported) and Tk 45-50 (local) a kg respectively with an increase by Tk 5.0-6.0 a kg on Tuesday.
Ginger prices increased to Tk 200-240 a kg from Tk 150-160 a kg.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said rice prices already witnessed a notable hike.
And now hike in prices of vegetables, eggs and potatoes have been adding further woes to the limited income group who are already struggling with declining income due to the corona pandemic, he said.
Open market sale of essentials should be expanded notably to mitigate the sufferings of the commoners.
The agencies concerned like Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) should also think to add some items like potatoes to its product list.