The prices of several popular food items in Bangladesh during Ramadan, including lemons, brinjals, cucumbers, pineapples, bananas, wood apples, coconuts, apples, oranges, and malta, rose on the first day of the holy month on Sunday.
People prefer to include fruits and juice items in their Iftar menu after a daylong fast. Due to the heightened demand, traders stock the popular items, resulting in increased prices.
Overall, the cost of Iftar essentials remains high, increasing expenses for the general public.
However, the prices of sugar, chickpeas, onions, potatoes, and flour have remained stable.
Despite this, there is a shortage of bottled soybean oil. Taking advantage of the situation, loose soybean oil is being sold at Tk195 per kg.
After an entire day of fasting, devout individuals quench their thirst with a glass of cold lemon juice at Iftar. Water-rich vegetables like cucumbers are also essential accompaniments to other foods.
While the demand for these items remains steady throughout the year, during Ramadan, consumer demand for lemons and cucumbers multiplies. Taking advantage of this, traders raise the prices of these products.
As in previous years, the same situation occurred this time as well. Just before the start of Ramadan, the prices of lemons and cucumbers increased by Tk40-60. However, there is no shortage of these items in the markets.
SM Nazer Hossain, vice president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), criticised the price hike of essential commodities ahead of Ramadan, stating that some unscrupulous traders deliberately increase prices when demand rises.
“Every year, we see the same pattern—businessmen take advantage of the increased demand and raise prices unnecessarily, putting extra pressure on consumers,” he said.
A visit to the Mirpur-6 market in Dhaka on Sunday revealed that the price of a set of four lemons starts at a minimum of Tk50-60 for the smaller ones.
Medium-sized lemons are being sold for Tk70-80 per set, while the larger, elongated lemons are priced between Tk90-110 per set. Additionally, round, large lemons are being sold for Tk100-130 per set.
Meanwhile, the price of local cucumbers varies based on size and quality, ranging from Tk70-80 per kilogram. Hybrid cucumbers are sold at Tk60-80 per kilogram, while ridge gourds (khira) are priced at Tk60-70 per kilogram.
However, just a week earlier, large lemons were available in retail markets for Tk40-60 per set, and cucumbers and ridge gourds were being sold for Tk30-60 per kilogram.
Traders stated that during Ramadan and hot weather, the demand for lemons increases significantly.
People mainly buy lemons in large quantities to make sherbet for Iftar, which is why the demand remains high. However, since it is not the peak season for lemons, the supply in the market is not meeting the demand.
Lemons are citrus plants that start flowering in spring, with fruit typically appearing in May, June, and July.
The prices of all fruits have also increased ahead of Ramadan. Traders claim that the imposition of tariffs and taxes on imported fruits further drove up prices.
The prices of malta, oranges, and apples have increased by Tk20-40 per kilogram in the past couple of months.
In the capital, malta is being sold at Tk 320-350 per kilogram, regular oranges at Tk 280-320, and thicker-skinned Chinese oranges at Tk 300-350 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, Fuji apples are being sold at Tk 320-350 per kilogram, while green and Gala apples are priced at Tk420-450 per kilogram.
Among local fruits, the price of coconuts rose by Tk20-30 per piece compared to previous rates.
Small-sized coconuts are being sold at Tk100-120 each, while larger ones are priced at Tk150-180 per piece. Additionally, the local fruit wood apple (bel) is being sold for Tk100-150 per piece.
The prices of bananas and ripe papayas have also increased. Depending on the variety, a set of four bananas is being sold for Tk40-60.
Among them, better-quality Shabri and Sagar bananas are priced at Tk50-60 per set, while hill-grown Bengali bananas are being sold for Tk40 per set.
Meanwhile, pineapples are being sold in pairs for Tk100-120, and guavas are priced at Tk100-110 per kilogram.
Just Saturday, eggplants were being sold at Tk60 per kilogram. Two days earlier, they were priced at Tk40 per kg, but on the first day of Ramadan (Sunday), their price surged to Tk100 per kilogram. The demand for long eggplants is particularly high in the market, with prices reaching Tk100 per kilogram. Additionally, other varieties of eggplants, depending on quality, are being sold for Tk80-100 per kilogram.
Source: The Daily Sun
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