Potato not being sold at govt fixed price

Potato price is still on increasing trend in kitchen markets in the capital Dhaka as the traders are not obeying the government fixed rate in selling the vegetable item. 

It is now being sold at Tk50-55 per kilogram while the price was Tk 45to 50 in the last week, a retailer at Kawran Bazar kitchen market said while talking to the Business Insider this noon. 

The price hike came from the wholesale level. Potato was being sold at Tk40 to 45 per kg in the wholesale market in Kawran Bazar on Saturday. 

On Saturday, it is seen that the wholesale warehouses of Kawran Bazar were selling potatoes at Tk 42 to 45 per kg. 

Among them, Rajshahi’s potato is being sold at Tk 42 per kg, Bikrampur’s potato at Tk 41, Bogra’s red potato at Tk 40, Mymensingh’s red potato at Tk 42, and mixed small and big potatoes at Tk 40 per kg.

Meanwhile, the government has fixed Tk25 as the price of per kg of potato at the wholesale level last week. 

“We bought potato at higher rate this year. The deteriorating flood situation and the increase transport cost are the main reasons behind hiking of the potato price,” Maidul Islam, one of the wholesalers at Kawran Bazar told the reporter. 

While asked about the government’s fixed price, he said, “We don’t know how the government fixed the prices. But it seems, the government did it without monitoring the market. How come the wholesale price be Tk10 higher than the retail price fixed by the government?”

The wholesale price of potato was Tk10 to 12 higher than the retail price fixed by the government in the capital’s Hatirpool, Kathalbagan, Mogbazar, Rampura, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Segunbagicha, Fakirapool, Motijheel TNT Colony and Khilgaon market. 

Alauddin Sheikh, a retailer at Hatirpool kitchen market, said, “The price was higher in the wholesale market. That’s why I need to sell potato at a higher price.”

Besides while talking to the reporter, several customers at Hatirpool market expressed their dissatisfaction over the increased price of potato. 

Mrinal Chakrabarty, blamed syndication for increasing the potato price and urged the government to strengthen the market monitoring in a bid to keep the price of potato normal.