The prices of palatable and tasty seasonal fruit watermelon have fallen remarkably due to huge supply of mature fruits and unofficial sporadically boycott by some of the people in last two weeks. Both wholesale and retailers and consumers have expressed their satisfaction over the price fall. Further, the wholesale vendors have stopped bringing the fruit as the Eid was nearing.
Shamsuddin Mollah, a government employee and Anamika Biswas, a house wife at Haterrasta area in Jhenaidah town, purchasing watermelon from a retailer when contacted said they each had purchased the fruit at Taka 150 which was at least Taka 300 about ten days back. They said most of the watermelon seems to be mature was carrying carbide or similar hazardous chemical for faster ripening. Those were not palatable at all. But now most of the fruits are mature and tasty also. Further, the price was within the reach of common people. The people, especially, the Muslim Community people observing fasting month fallen the victims when the fruit was so costly. An ordinary income people can afford a smaller size of watermelon for his family now a days, they said
Fruit vendor Ahmed Ali at Jhenaidah town when contacted said they were purchasing almost immature watermelon at Taka seven to eight lakh for each truck from Kuakata, Barishal, Pirojpur or some other southern areas. But the price fallen to almost 50 percent in the growing fields. Now it was easy to purchase the same with Taka three lakh to four lakh.
The fruit vendor said although watermelon was an important fruit to the Bangladeshi people, the demand for the same was highest in the fasting month Ramadan. Here some of the growers were adding hazardous chemical to attract the consumers. But huge mature fruits now rushing the market with least price. He also said a good number of consumers informed him that huge people was boycotting the watermelon until and unless the price was not fallen satisfactorily in the market. They have been doing good business now. Some of the retailers said as the Eid was nearing, the wholesale traders have stopped booking the order for supply of the fruits. As no new fruits was rushing in the market ahead od Eid, most of the retailers shops were not storing the same, they said.
When this correspondent visited the fruit market in Jhenaidah town witnessed slight fall of the imported fruits in last week. Each kilogram grapes were selling at Taka 220 to 240 as against last week’s Taka 260 to 280, orange at Taka 210 to 220 as against Taka 240, malta at Taka 170 to 180 as against Taka 200 and apple at Taka 240 to 250 as against Taka 270 to 300. Prices of other local fruits was almost fallen in the market.
Deputy director (DD) of the department of agricultural extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah Khamarbari Asgar Ali when contacted said the businessmen and growers both take the advantages or opportunities of any situation like Ramadan and increase the prices as they will. Here the government authority cannot impose any bar on the selling prices. He said, the watermelon is not widely cultivated in Jhenaidah on a broader scale, while a few hectares of land is haphazardly used for the same fruit farming, while maximum fruits rush in Jhenaidah markets from Barishal belt districts, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Natore, the DAE official said.