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As people have been buying more fruits to boost immunity amid the surge of Covid-19 virus infection coupled with the increased dengue menace, prices of some nutritious fruits for the time have gone up in the city market.
Since a lot of patients are coming to the capital from different parts of the country, the demand for fruits increased sharply. Compared to the last week, supply shortage of fruits has also fueled a price hike against the increasing demand.
Meanwhile, the price of some fruits almost doubled within a week. Prices escalated to Tk 40-Tk 80 in some cases.
Speaking to some fruit sellers in the capital on Wednesday, they said that as the demand peaked at retail and wholesale prices have shown an upward trend.
Md Hamid went to the fruits shop of the Haidar Ali to buy some fruits for her ailing mother who is admitted to a hospital as a dengue patient for the last seven days. Because of high prices, he finally went back only with a pomegranate and a green coconut at a cost of Tk 75 and Tk 120 respectively.
“The prices of fruits like malta, green coconut and pomegranate are too high to purchase compared to the same period of last year in the advent of the dengue,” said Hamid.
A fruit seller at Kazla in Jatrabari Md Sohel said, “The wholesale fruit price has been increased at Badamtoli, the wholesale market of the fruits in the city.”
“As we are purchasing the fruits at a higher price from the wholesale market, we have to sell the fruits at a higher price too. I have bought South African apple at a cost of Tk 180 a kg and as a retailer we are now selling this variety apple at Tk 200-Tk 210 a kg while the wholesale price of pomegranate is Tk 250 a kg and our retail price is Tk 270- Tk 280 a kg.
However, Sohel said, “Our overall sales volume is also not satisfactory due to the price hike of the fruits and the buyers are now either from the well-off families or patients’ families.
Malta, which was sold at Tk 130 a kg before Eid, is now being sold at Tk 170-Tk 180 a kg. Similarly, apples of Tk 150-Tk 160 kg are now being sold at Tk 180-Tk 200 a kg.``
Malta is now also being sold at Tk 220 to Tk 230 a kg which was sold at Tk 160-Tk 120 akg, Apple is being sold at Tk 190 -Tk 200 a kg, which was sold at Tk 160-Tk 170 a kg.
The present price of pomegranate is Tk 270-Tk 280 a kg, which was sold at Tk 240-Tk 250 a kg and Naspati is now being sold at Tk 280-Tk 300 a kg, which was earlier sold at Tk 250 to Tk260.
Apart from these fruits, a green coconut is now being sold at Tk 120 -Tk 130 which was sold earlier at Tk 60 to Tk 80.
Abdul Hamid, a fruit buyer in the Paltan area said that the price of the domestic fruits have also gone up in line with the increased prices of the imported fruits.
“Regular monitoring systems can play a vital role in keeping the fruit market stable, he noted.
At present the season of the Chinese fruits is now at tail end while South Africa is going through a political turmoil and the activities of their ports remain suspended. That’s why we are not able to bring any fruits from South Africa for over a month, said Bangladesh Fresh Fruit Importers Association general secretary Serajul Islam while talking to The Business Post.
“Apart from this, the fares of the fruit laden containers are now also more than double compared to the past which has also fueled the prices of fruits in the domestic market.”
Serajul Islam further explained that imported fruits meet 60 -70 per cent of the domestic market demand. So, if the import is hampered, the domestic market also suffers to some extent.
