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Vegetable and fish prices remain high in Dhaka’s kitchen markets despite the ongoing monsoon season, putting further pressure on low- and fixed-income households.
A visit to markets in Mirpur 10, Mirpur 13, Mirpur Section 2, Mohammadpur and Farmgate on Friday (August 21) found little relief in vegetable prices, while most varieties of fish remained beyond the reach of ordinary consumers.
Among the vegetables, pointed gourd was selling for Tk80 per kg, spiny gourd Tk100, bitter gourd Tk80-100, local cucumber Tk100, hybrid cucumber Tk70-80, okra Tk80, yardlong beans Tk80, ridge gourd Tk80, eggplant Tk80-100, sweet pumpkin Tk60, carrot Tk120, bottle gourd Tk60-80, taro Tk80, taro stems Tk80 and papaya Tk40.
Green leafy vegetables were also selling at relatively high prices, with red amaranth and water lily stems at Tk20 per bunch, while bottle gourd leaves, Malabar spinach and stem amaranth were Tk30 per bunch. Green bananas were selling for Tk40-50 per four.
Rice prices, however, remained largely stable in retail markets. Miniket (Mozammel) was selling for Tk85 per kg, Miniket (Rashid and Fresh) Tk80, Aatash and Paijam Tk60, and coarse rice (Guti-Swarna) Tk55.
Wholesale traders said the price of coarse rice had declined slightly. A 50kg sack of Miniket (Mozammel) was selling for Tk3,600, Miniket (Rashid) Tk3,100, Aatash Tk2,600, Paijam Tk2,550-2,600 and Guti-Swarna Tk2,600.
Fish Prices Remain Out of Reach
Hilsa weighing more than 1kg was selling for Tk2,600-3,000 per kg. Hilsa weighing 400-600 grams was priced above Tk1,500 per kg, while smaller 200-250 gram fish cost Tk800-1,000 per kg.
Rohu and catla weighing 1-1.5kg were selling for Tk330-350 per kg, while 2kg fish cost Tk400-450. River fish prices included Tk800-1,000 for aiyr, Tk600 for kachki, Tk500-600 for pabda, and Tk1,200 each for rupchanda and bele. Tengra was Tk800, while large prawns were selling for Tk900-1,200 per kg.
Meat, Eggs and Essentials
Beef was selling for Tk780-800 per kg, mutton Tk1,200, goat meat Tk1,100, broiler chicken Tk200, Sonali chicken Tk330 and layer chicken Tk360. A four-pack of farm eggs was priced at Tk50.
Local lentils were selling for Tk160-170 per kg, coarse lentils Tk100-110 and mung dal Tk170. Bottled soybean oil cost Tk199 per litre, while loose soybean oil was Tk202.
Local onions were selling for Tk50 per kg, potatoes Tk25-40, ginger Tk160-180, local garlic Tk120 and imported large garlic Tk160 per kg.
