Watermelon season started before Ramadan. And from the beginning it was selling at high prices. Due to the demand of watermelon during the month of fasting, the price goes up further. Meanwhile, common buyers called for a watermelon ‘boycott’. As the temperature drops due to rain, its demand also decreases. As a result, the price of watermelon started to decrease. The initiative of Bangladesh Agri Farmers Association (BAFA) started selling watermelons at fair prices in five places of the capital with the slogan ‘farmer’s product, farmer’s price’, the watermelon became cheaper in the market.
But within a month of the watermelon ‘boycott’, intense heat has started across the country. Traders have increased the price of watermelon on the occasion of this ongoing heat wave. They are again selling watermelons at higher prices as before. They are selling watermelons at Tk 60 to Tk 120 per kg in different areas of the capital like before fasting.
Watermelon is being sold at different prices in different areas of the capital, but the buyers complain that the price is being kept high everywhere (Photo: Sajjad Hossain).
On Tuesday (April 23) in Purana Paltan, Farmgate and Mirpur No. 6 areas of the capital, this image of watermelons being sold at excessive prices can be seen.
A street (Azad Products Lane) slightly ahead of Purana Paltan Mor has several fruit shops. Vendors are selling watermelons as pieces in shops. When asked the price of medium sized watermelon, they ask for 400 rupees. If you want to see the weight, it can be seen that the weight of the watermelon is slightly more than 5 kg. In this case, a kg is 80 taka. However, the sellers said that they do not sell as kg, but as pieces.
A similar picture is seen in other fruit shops. They are also selling watermelons of almost the same size for Tk 400 to Tk 450. When asked why the price of watermelon suddenly increased, a seller said that the watermelon season is at the end. So the price is higher now. And this watermelon will be sweet, guaranteed.
Another seller said, these are Khulna watermelons. The price of watermelon in Khulna is already high.
Watermelon prices have gone up everywhere, regardless of whether they are sold per kg or piece (Photo: Sajjad Hossain).
In all the shops in this area, watermelons are sold as pieces, but in one shop, it was found that they are selling at the rate of kg. When asked how many kg, they said 120 per kg. The weight of the watermelons in his shop is more than 5 kg. In this case, the price of a watermelon weighing 5 kg is 600 taka.
Watermelon of the same weight is being sold for Tk 400 to Tk 450 in nearby shops. When asked why the price is so high in his shop, the seller said, all our fruits are fresh here. We do not keep any bad goods. If you want to eat good things, you have to pay more.
Meanwhile, going to the fruit shop in front of Tejgaon College in the Farmgate area, it is seen that they are selling watermelons at the rate of kg. The traders here are charging 60 rupees per kg.
Sellers do not tell the reason why the price of watermelon is high even in full season (Photo: Asad Abedin Joy)
In less than a month, watermelon sellers have sold watermelons at Tk 30 per kg. When asked why its price has suddenly doubled now, Matin, a seller of watermelon, said that the price is high at the end of the season. And will the price always be low? As customers were stopping to buy, now do not have to adopt it?
Another seller Siddique said, “I have no excuse as to why the prices are increasing.” The price is what I am selling now.
A vendor named Abul Kalam was asked when the watermelon season is. He said that watermelons are available from the end of March till the month of May. Tis the watermelon season. But now watermelon is available throughout the year.
If watermelons are available throughout the year, why are they being sold at a higher price at the end of the season, he said, they are big watermelons. Other times the watermelons that are available are small watermelons.
Go to the fruit shop of Mirpur No. 6 market and see that watermelon is being sold at the rate of Tk 60 to 70 per kg. The sellers said that each watermelon will weigh from 6 to 14 kg. They said that watermelons from Barisal region are sold here.
There is no shortfall in supply of watermelon anywhere, yet the price is high (Photo: Sajjad Hossain)
When asked to know the price of watermelon from a seller named Shahjahan, he said that Barisal watermelon is Tk 60 per kg and Khulna watermelon is Tk 70 per kg. A few days ago the price was low. When asked why the price has suddenly increased, he said, “I don’t know why the price has increased.” I sell at a higher price because I overbought.
Md. Another seller named Latif showed the watermelons he had with him saying that they are very fresh. When cut, the color will be red, and sweet will be bitter. Selling with this guarantee, the price will be higher.
Raihan, another seller, said that the farmers are losing money now…how will they live if they don’t make a little profit at the end of the season?
In these markets of the capital, many buyers are seen asking the price and leaving. Buy less than that.
Tanya was buying watermelons in Farmgate area. He said he bought a 6 kg watermelon for 360 taka. He said, I bought fixed price; Do not reduce the price. He said it would be good. Now let’s see how true his words are.
Another customer named Mustafa said, I bought a watermelon weighing slightly more than 10 kg for 600 taka. Many speeches said it would be good, Khulna watermelon. By the time people stopped buying, the price had already dropped. Now that it has warmed up a bit, people have started buying again. In fact, their prices have increased again. This is the condition of traders.
Watermelons are coming to the capital from various areas including Khulna and Barisal (Photo: Focus Bangla)
Meanwhile, in Paltan area, watermelons are cut and sold in vans for Tk 20 per plate. Ahsan Habib, a passerby, buys and eats watermelon from here. He said, I bought a plate of watermelon for 20 taka. Half of it was rotten. Then bought another plate that too was rotten. But the seller said it would be fine. Actually both plates were rotten. Later I paid him the price. I didn’t want to talk more in the heat. Just came to say that his watermelon is not good.
It is to be noted that Bangladesh Agri Farmers Association (BAFA) sold watermelons for up to 27 days at a fair price in five places of the capital with the slogan ‘farmer’s product, farmer’s price’. At that time, watermelon weighing more than 5 kg was sold at Tk 100, watermelon weighing more than 7 kg at Tk 150, watermelon weighing more than 9 kg at Tk 200, watermelon weighing more than 11 kg at Tk 250 per piece.
Also read – Delay in sale of watermelons waiting for minister, angry buyers
Tags: taka boycotted watermelon
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