Although the full chill of winter has yet to set in, the supply of winter vegetables in the market has already increased. As a result, vegetable prices have eased compared to last week. The price of eggs has also started to decline, while the prices of edible oil, sugar, and salt have remained largely unchanged.
Traders said that in hopes of making higher profits, farmers now cultivate winter vegetables early. This year’s favourable weather has resulted in good yields. Consequently, various winter vegetables have started appearing in the markets early in the season, leading to a drop in prices compared to previous weeks.
A visit to several markets in the capital — including Taltala, Malibagh, and Segunbagicha — and conversations with traders revealed this scenario.
In these markets, beans are selling for Tk 120–140 per kg, radish for Tk 60–80 per kg, while each cauliflower and cabbage costs between Tk 50 and 80 depending on size and quality, though they remain relatively small in size. Bottle gourds are priced at Tk 50–80 apiece, depending on size and quality.
Buyers said that although cauliflowers and cabbages seem a bit pricey considering their size, the overall supply of vegetables has improved. As a result, the price surge that persisted for several months has begun to ease.
Enamul Hossain, a buyer who purchased some winter vegetables, said, “Even though new vegetables are a bit expensive, I still like to buy them. Prices are lower than last week — I bought beans at Tk 120 per kg today, whereas last week they were Tk 200. The prices of radish and cabbage have also dropped by around Tk 20.”
Traders noted that customers are now mostly drawn to winter vegetables. Prices of both winter and other vegetables are expected to fall further in the coming days. Within one to two weeks, the supply of winter vegetables is likely to increase significantly.
Meanwhile, prices of summer vegetables have also started to decline slightly due to the increased supply of winter varieties. Long eggplants are selling for Tk 80–90 per kg, while round eggplants are Tk 100–120 per kg — down from Tk 150 just two weeks ago.
Other vegetables such as snake gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, and pointed gourd are priced at Tk 60–80 per kg, while papaya is selling for Tk 30–35 per kg. Yardlong beans, however, remain unchanged at Tk 90–100 per kg.
Potatoes remain low-priced as usual, at Tk 25–30 per kg, while onions are selling for Tk 60–80 per kg, depending on quality.
In Dhaka’s markets, the price of farm eggs, which suddenly spiked last week, has started to decline. A dozen eggs that were sold at Tk 150 a few days ago are now priced at Tk 140, although some neighborhood shops are still selling them at Tk 150.
Broiler chickens are being sold for Tk 170–180 per kg, while Sonali chickens are priced between Tk 280 and 300 per kg.
On the other hand, prices of essential grocery items such as edible oil, sugar, and salt have remained stable without any notable changes.