Winter vegetables: ample supply but still a bit pricey
A variety of winter vegetables, such as bean, tomato and cabbage, have arrived in the capital's kitchen markets but prices are still a bit high.
This correspondent visited a few kitchen markets in the capital on Friday morning and found that there are adequate supplies of winter vegetables even though the cold season has not set in yet.
Customers are also interested in paying extra to buy new potato, cauliflower, spinach and round eggplant.
Idris Ali, a vegetable seller in Rampura market, said he is selling new potato for Tk100 per kg, bean Tk80 per kg and cauliflower Tk55-60 per piece.
"Early arrivals of winter vegetables are generally a bit pricey, but consumers are still buying," he told The Business Standard.
At a market near Boro Maghbazar, tomato is selling for Tk100-120 per kg, cabbage Tk40-50 per piece, round eggplant Tk80 per kg, and long eggplant Tk60-70 per kg.
However, regular potato is still selling for Tk30 per kg.
Nurul Haque, who came to the Karwan Bazar kitchen market, said he does not mind paying a bit more to buy winter vegetables because they are delicious.
Another consumer Al-Amin told The Business Standard vegetable prices are still high even though there are more supplies than previous years.
Mostafa Kamal, a vegetable merchant in Karwan Bazar, said vegetables are coming from districts on the outskirts of Dhaka, such as Manikganj and Savar.
"This year, many farmers cultivated vegetables early, hoping that they would get better prices. This is why we have ample supplies but prices are still high," he told The Business Standard.
Kamal said prices might decline in a week or two.