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Tomato prices hit a record high of Tk 400- 450 per kg as observed in the city kitchen markets on Saturday morning.
Traders attributed it to scanty local supply as compared to demand and a substantial rise in import costs.
Julkar Naim, a vegetable vendor at Rayer Bazar told the FE that the price would be the highest in the last 15 years since starting his business.
Wholesale prices shot up to Tk 2,000 a palla (5kg) on Friday evening at Karwan Bazar wholesale from Tk 1,200 on Thursday, he said, adding the price, however, went down to Tk 1800 a palla (Tk 360 a kg) by Saturday noon.
He further informed that only 3-4 wholesale shops had the tomato on the day.
Imran Master, a vegetable wholesaler at Karwan Bazar, said local supply has almost finished while import is very low amid a price surge in neighbouring India.
He said import costs increased to more than Tk 350 and it was rising further, discouraging the importers to bring in the vegetable for now.
Deputy Director at the Plant Quarantine Wing (PQW) of agriculture ministry Mohammad Liakat Ali Khan told the FE that they have so far permitted importing 91,010 tonnes of tomato since June 26, but the importers have so far brought only 1,497 tonnes.
Mr Khan also informed that the importers are not seeking permission for chilli import as its price has already declined notably in the market amid rise in local supplies.
According to media reports in India, tomato prices have been under pressure for more than a month now on account of supply disruptions caused due to heavy rainfall in the key producing regions.
And that the wholesale price shot up to 250 rupees a kg (equivalent to Tk 327) in
Delhi and the retail price set to rise to 300 rupees a kg (Tk 392).
Supply chain expert and farm economist Prof Dr Humayun Kabir said the recent hike in tomato and chilli could be defined by the demand and supply dynamics.
The country hardly produces tomato in summer (May-September) though the demand has increased amid a changing food habit.
The country is almost dependent on import during the summer, mainly from India, to meet its demand, he said.
Without popularising summer tomato varieties, the import dependence would persist as it is not too easy to store tomatoes in cold storages.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the country produces 0.44 million tonnes of tomato annually - 99 per cent is grown in winter.
The daily demand for tomato is now approximately 1,200 tonnes as compared to the availability of less than 40 tonnes, according to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM).