Due to a sharp decrease in supply caused by four days of continuous rainfall and sudden flooding in various districts, the price of green chillies has spiked across Dhaka's retail markets, reaching Tk 400-420 per kilogram on Saturday.
Retailers at Mirpur's Shewrapara, Kaziapara, and Kallyanpur BRTC markets were seen selling 250 grams of green chilli for Tk 100 to Tk 110. Just last Wednes-day, prices hovered around Tk 200-220 per kg, while a week ago it was around Tk 100 per kg.
In response to the crisis, imports of green chillies from India have resumed after an eight-month hiatus, according to Md. Nizamul Islam, Revenue Officer at the Hili Land Port in Dinajpur.
For the past several days, incessant rainfall across parts of the country, including Dhaka, has disrupted vegetable supply from rural areas. Although the weather improved on Saturday, prices remain high as floodwaters continue to inundate large areas, damaging crops such as vegetables and green chillies.
Vendors attributed the price hike to the low supply against steady consumer demand, particularly in flood-affected areas where many farmers have been unable to harvest their crops.
"Just last week, we bought 5kg of chillies wholesale for Tk 200. Today, that cost us Tk 1,200," said Omar Faruk, a vendor at Shewrapara market. "We're retailing at Tk 380-400 per kg, but some of it still gets spoiled and must be thrown away."
