Vegetable prices have hiked sharply in the capital’s kitchen markets. According to a report published in the Bangladesh Post on Saturday, no item except papaya sold below Tk 80 per kg over the last week. To cite an example—the price of brinjal, a common vegetable, shocked the customer as it rises to TK 130s per kg in just a week. The buyers have not seen prices this high in a year.
The hike in vegetable and onion prices have impacted nearly all other food items adversely forcing the consumers to trim purchases. Prices in the kitchen markets have surged by 20-50 per kg for most vegetables.
We are sick of writing repeatedly about the price-spiral as it is never known when it will stop. Survival for the common man has become too arduous and tough as prices of essentials have been soaring without respite since long. As price- hike is unbridled, the consumers will continue to pay through the nose.
Government’s exhortation to traders for bringing down prices falls on deaf ears. Morality is of no use to tame the syndicate in the market. The authorities concerned failed again and again to break it. What is needed is a draconian control over the market. The cartel is so mighty that the authorities appear to be shaky to launch a crackdown for fear of anarchy in the market.
People from the lower rung of the social ladder are the worst hit by the abnormal price hike of daily necessaries. Millions in the low and fixed income group have been bearing the brunt of spiraling prices of essentials and inflated cost of living.
Any compromise with any quarters doing positive harm to the interests of people will be disastrous. The authorities concerned should remember that they have been mandated to administer with iron hand if necessary and not to give free rein to any cartel how powerful they might be. In absence of any stern action a section of price-gouging rogue traders are encouraged to charge too prohibitive prices much higher than wholesale prices. Traders laugh up their sleeve at the government warning of strict market monitoring as they know there is none to punish them. The wholesalers and retailers have their ready-reply about price-hike. Retailers blamed wholesalers for price rise; wholesalers, on the other hand said prices of vegetables had risen due to lower yields this season. They further said March-August is typically a low-supply period pushing up prices. They also blamed increased transport cost this year.
People call for stronger market monitoring, an end to alleged syndicate manipulation and action against extortion in goods transport to bring prices down. Moreover, we need the mobilization of consumer power against unethical activities of sellers. Government repeatedly promises market monitoring, but runaway prices prove that the market monitoring work is only a hollow pledge. It is, therefore, high time to take stringent measures against those traders who are responsible for abnormal price hike.
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