The price of green chilli is skyrocketing on the retail markets in the capital ahead of Ramadan.
Green chilli price rose by Tk 20 a kilogram in last three days. The price of
the commodity increased by Tk 70 a kg in last one month.
Consumers and wholesalers said retailers were hiking the price of green chilli abnormally.
The difference between the retail and the wholesale prices of the commodity was Tk 30 a kg on Monday.
Green chilli was selling at Tk 100 a kg and Tk 70 a kg on the retail and wholesale markets respectively. At the growers’ level, green chilli was selling at Tk 60 to Tk 65 a kg on the day.
The retailers, however, said recent flooding in different parts of the country
and end of the season pushed up the price of green chilli.
‘The flooding has damaged green chilli plants. So, the supply of the commodity has decreased, pushing up its price,’ said Moinuddin Mia, a retailer at Plassey Bazar.
Green chilli price is rising because of profiteering tendency of some unscrupulous retailers, said M Haider Sheikh, a wholesaler at Karwan Bazar.
‘There is a huge difference between its wholesale and retail market prices,’ said Muhammed Mostofa, a wholesaler in the city.
In the early June, green chilli price was Tk 30 a kg on the retail markets in the city.
But the price of the commodity increased by Tk 30 to Tk 60 a kg in the middle of June.
At the end of June, the price of green chilli stood at Tk 80 a kg.
‘Unscrupulous traders increase green chilli price in every year ahead of Ramadan by making artificial crisis on the markets, said Kamruzzaman, a school teacher.
The price of green chilli reached to Tk 200 a kg before Ramadan last year.
Kamruzzaman said the government should strengthen its market monitoring during Ramadan to check such price hike.