Green chilli now sells at Tk 300

Green chilli prices have started coming down both at wholesale and retail levels amid a rise in import as well as in local supply of this hot spice.

The essential cooking item retailed at Tk 280-300 a kg in Dhaka city on Monday in a fall from Tk 500-800 earlier, according to kitchen market sources.

Wholesale prices declined to Tk 180-250 on the day from Tk 300-450 a day ago at Karwanbazar, Shyambazar and Beribandh outlets.

Meanwhile, private importers brought 229 tonnes of green chilli until 4:30 pm on Monday, said Muhammad Liakat Hossain Khan, deputy director of the plant quarantine wing (import) under agriculture ministry.

A total of 130 companies have so far been permitted to bring in 46,230 tonnes of green chilli. The import would continue for the time being, he told the FE.

Agriculture ministry started allowing imports on June 26 amid an extortionate rise in the prices of chilli.

Apart from a rise in import, the supply of green chilli from local hubs to the market has also increased.

Locally produced green chilli retailed at Tk 160-180 a kg while the imported one at Tk 200-250 wholesale like Karwanbazar, Shyambazar and Beribandh.

Julfiqar Ali Roman, a vegetable vendor at Dhanmodni-15, bought five kilogram of green chilli at Tk 1,200 from Karwanbazar on Monday, which was Tk 2200 on Saturday.

"We're selling green chilli at Tk 300 a kg today (Monday)," he told the FE.

Hasibul Islam, a Rayerbazar-Beribandh-based vegetable wholesaler, said they were yet to get imported green chilli but the supply of desi (local) chilli increased sharply from Sunday evening.

Desi chilli from Dinajpur, Rangpur, Pabna, Kushtia, Faridpur regions have increased doubly from Sunday which help bringing down the price, he added.

Mr Islam said, "The import costs are more than Tk 150 a kg as far as we came to know as prices of the item are also higher in Indian states for now."

If import continues, he said, the prices might come down to below Tk 200 a kg at retail level within two or three days.

Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said lax market monitoring as well as delayed import permission was responsible for such volatility in the market.

Government agencies finally started market monitoring from Monday, which brought a good result that was reflected in the price, he added.

Such monitoring should continue to keep prices within the reach of the commoners, said Mr Bhuiyan.

Meanwhile, commerce minister Tipu Munshi at a press conference in Rangpur on Sunday claimed prices of green chilli would come down further within days amid a rise in import as well as increased supply of local variety.

The government is working to bring down prices of sugar and other commodities further, according to him.

Data available with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics showed Bangladesh produced 0.624-million tonnes of green chilli in 2022 -- 0.496-million tonnes in winter and only 0.128-million tonnes in summer.

tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com