Vegetable transport cost from Bogura up by 40%

The cost of transporting vegetables from Mahasthan Haat in Bogura, one of the largest markets in the northern region, to other parts of the country has increased by an average of 40% due to the ongoing blockades.

Businessmen said that the fare per truck on the Bogura-Sylhet route has increased by 36% or Tk8,000, on the Bogura-Chittagong route, it has increased by 45% or Tk10,000, and on the Bogura- Dhaka route it has increased by 38% or Tk5,000.

Explaining the "rationale" for increasing the fare of trucks, Mahasthan Haat truck businessman Saikat Islam said, "Truck drivers are reluctant to go on the road for fear of arson during the blockade. They have to be paid more salary. Moreover, there is a risk that the vehicle may be damaged or burnt at any time. That is why a higher fare is being charged."

According to Mahasthan Haat Traders Association, at least 35 trucks, carrying 300 mounds of vegetables each, travel from this market to other parts of the country every day. 

Photo: Khorshed Alam

The vegetables are usually packaged into bags and cartons from Mahasthan Haat and then loaded onto the trucks. Earlier, the transportation cost of a bag of goods from Bogura to Dhaka was Tk80-Tk100. Now, it has increased to Tk120-Tk140. The transportation cost of a carton was Tk75. Now it has reached Tk100.

However, M/S Esha Moni Traders Assistant Manager Jafor Iqbal said that the situation of truck fares was even worse in the early blockade days. At that time, the fare of a truck on the Bogura-Chittagong route was Tk60,000-Tk70,000. Now, it has come down to Tk35,000-Tk 36,000, which was normally Tk24,000.

Md Sabbir Hasan, who has been selling vegetables from Mahasthan Haat to Sylhet for almost 40 years, said, "The political instability has caused transportation costs to skyrocket, which is now impacting vegetable prices. The fare for going to Sylhet was previously Tk22,000-Tk23,000, but now it is Tk28,000-Tk30,000. Despite the high truck fares, the supply of vegetables is fine."

Meanwhile, Md Dulal Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Bogura, said that excessive rain in October delayed the start of winter vegetable cultivation and slightly reduced the yield of early vegetables. However, he expects the yield of vegetables that will come to market from now on to be much better.

Despite the decrease in vegetable production, farmers are happy and profiting from high prices. Farmers reported strong demand for early winter vegetables, with wholesale traders from across the country visiting the market despite the blockade. However, prices have fallen by Tk4-Tk5 per kg over the past week, which is common for raw materials.