806 tonnes of green chilli imported in 3 days, price still hits Tk400 per kg in Jashore
Traders attributed this rise to the port being closed for five consecutive days due to Durga Puja
Despite importing 806 tonnes of green chilli in three days, price of the spice has kept rising, reaching Tk350-400 per kilogramme in all local retail markets of Jashore.
Traders attributed this rise to the port being closed for five consecutive days due to Durga Puja.
Just a week ago, green chillies imported from India were sold in the retail markets of Jashore at Tk80-100 per kg. Now, price has spiked to nearly Tk400 per kilogram today.
"Even a week ago, I bought chillies for Tk90 per kg. Today, I see it's Tk350. How can we continue like this?" asked Jamal Hossain, a buyer at Benapole Checkpost Market.
Another buyer, Rafiqul Alam, said, "As we live near the Benapole land port area, we hear and see that a lot of green chillies are being imported here. Ideally, prices should be below Tk100, but we still have to pay Tk350-400 per kg."
Shankar Kumar, a vegetable seller in Jashore's Bara Bazar, said, "Due to heavy rainfall, local chilli plants have been destroyed. And due to the puja holidays, the port was closed for a few days, leading to a supply shortage. This is why green chilies are being sold for Tk400 per kg today."
Retailers said prices at the wholesale level have not decreased despite increased imports.
They claimed that the wholesalers stockpiled and raised prices, knowing that the port would be closed for five days.
Rashed Morol, a retail businessman in the market, said, "We have to buy chillies at a high price. Prices for all vegetables and onions are sky-high.
"Due to the puja holidays and the port being closed, big businessmen stockpiled sacks of green chillies and onions in hopes of higher prices. Once imports normalise, prices should decrease," he added.
Meanwhile, over the past three days, the import of green chillies at this port has increased significantly.
On Monday (14 October), 581.97 tonnes of green chillies were imported in 50 trucks.
By Tuesday (15 October) evening, another 144 tonnes were imported.
The cost of importing these chillies, including customs duties, ranged from Tk96-100 per kg, yet in Jessore's main market, they are selling for Tk380-400 per kg.
Rafiqul Islam Royal, an importer of onions and green chillies at Benapole port said, "There's not much decrease in onion prices, so now I'm importing green chillies. The current import of green chillies is very high. The issue of the price increase should be resolved soon. Over the past two days, 62 trucks of green chillies have been imported through this port."
Engineer Md Aslam Sheikh, deputy director of the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP) in Jashore, said they are conducting operations based on complaints in addition to regular activities.
"We are closely monitoring purchase-sale receipts, price lists, and whether products are being sold at excessive prices and legal measures are being taken. We will also verify any manipulation in chilli prices," he added.