Cashing in the scorching summer heat and high demand during the holy month of Ramadan, retailers in Dhaka are making a huge profit almost doubling the price of watermelons than the wholesalers.
At wholesale markets, juicy summer fruit is sold as a piece but the retailers sell it as per its weight
Wholesalers at Shyam Bazar and Karwan Bazar said that they sell watermelons weighing 5 to 7 kg at Tk 130 to Tk 170 per piece, eight to 11 kg weighed ones at Tk 140 to Tk 180 per piece, and above 13kg weighed ones at Tk 220 to Tk 260 per piece.
And the retailers across Dhaka sell the fruit at Tk 60 to Tk 80 per kg pushing the price of a small one to Tk 300, a medium to Tk 500 and a large one to Tk 700.
Kuddus-Ul-Alam, a wholesaler at Shyam Bazar, said that he sold small watermelons weighing five to seven kgs at Tk 100 to Tk 120 per piece, medium-sized watermelons weighing eight to eleven kgs at Tk 140 to Tk 180 and large watermelons weighing above 11 kgs at Tk 220 to Tk 300 per piece.
Another wholesaler Mohammed Mosharaf Hossain said that his watermelons were collected from Barisal and he used to supply 10,000 to 12,000 pieces per day to the retailers.
‘’Retailers buy watermelons by piece from us but they sell them by weight and it increases the price so high,’’ he said.
Retailer Abul Aziz of Cumilla came to Shyam Bazar wholesale market and bought 100 watermelons weighing seven to eight kgs at Tk 170 a piece. He said in Cumilla the fruit is sold as a piece not as per its weight and he would sell them at Tk 230 to 250 per piece based on sizes.
A happy Abdul Aziz said that it was his second trip to the wholesale market in Dhaka as he made a huge profit in his first lot.
Wholesaler Md Abdur Rahim at Karwan Bazar said that he was selling each watermelon at Tk 80 to 120 based on sizes. He collects watermelons from different southern districts of Patuakhali and Barisal and central districts of Pabna and Mymensingh.
Watermelons from Barisal and Patuakhali are on high demand among retailers their volume of purchase is also huge, he said.
Wholesaler Mohammed Shalim Uddin at Karwan Bazar said he was selling watermelon for the past four years but sales at his wholesale yard this year was satisfactory. ’He blamed Covid-19 for this situation.
Profit margin remains high for retailer Sanjay Majumdar at Karwan Bazar as he collects watermelon from wholesalers as a piece but sells as per their weight just in front of the wholesale market.
‘’As every retailer is selling watermelon by its weight. So do I.’’ said Sanjay.
