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Prices of vegetables increased significantly last week, hitting hard the common people, already battered by soaring prices of other daily essentials.
Traders attributed the hike to the persisting nor'westers that is lashing over the country for the last few days, causing damage to veggie fields in many districts.
Market observers, however, found involvement of middlemen responsible for further hike of vegetables in city markets.
Different qualities of brinjal sold at Tk 70-Tk 90 per kg, pointed gourd, snake gourd and ridge gourd at Tk 60-Tk 80, sponge gourd at Tk 70-Tk 80, bitter gourd at Tk 55-Tk 70, local bean at Tk 50-Tk 60 per kg in the city markets on Thursday, a Tk 20-Tk 25 hike in seven days.
Green chilli price increased to Tk 80-Tk 100 a kg at retail level from Tk 60-Tk 80.
Md Juel Rana, a vegetable vendor at Sankar, Dhanmondi said vegetable prices have been showing a rising trend for the last few days at the wholesale market.
Md Kamrul Islam Sujon, a wholesaler at Rayerbazar told the FE that supply has been disrupted severely by heavy rain and hailstorm that hit veggie fields in many places like Narsingdi, Cumilla, Rangpur, Bogra, Gazipur, Dhamrai, Savar, Dohar and Nowabganj areas.