Vegetable prices quadruple from farm to market

Muhammad Ayub Ali :

Vegetable prices are soaring in Dhaka’s retail markets—almost four times higher than what farmers receive in producing regions.

The steep price difference, experts say, stems from multiple handovers, extortion along transport routes, and poor market monitoring.

As a result, farmers are being denied fair prices, while consumers in the city are forced to pay exorbitant rates.

Those involved in the sector argue that a stronger market management system and more efficient agricultural marketing—both online and offline—are urgently needed.

At Mahasthan Bazar in Bogura, one of the country’s largest vegetable hubs, farmers are currently selling brinjal for Tk 27–40 per kg and beans for Tk 35–40. Yet, by the time these vegetables reach Dhaka’s retail markets, they are sold for four to five times more.

A market visit to Mohakhali, Badda, Rampura, and Jatrabari on Thursday and Friday showed brinjal selling between Tk 100–180 per kg. In contrast, the same produce costs Tk 27–40 in Bogura, Tk 60–70 in Pabna, and Tk 70–100 in Narsingdi. Winter vegetables are fetching Tk 160–200 per kg in the capital, though farmers are selling beans for only Tk 35–40.

The pattern continues across items: bitter gourd sells for Tk 100–120 in Dhaka but only Tk 32–38 in Bogura. Barbati, priced at Tk 100–120 in city markets, is bought from farmers at Tk 30–32. Patol, jhinga, and sweet pumpkin show similar disparities, while long gourd, which farmers sell for Tk 15–25 per piece, reaches Tk 70–80 in Dhaka’s retail stalls.

Md. Habib, a vegetable seller at Karwan Bazar, explained how multiple intermediaries inflate prices “Farmers bring their produce to local markets, where syndicates of traders fix prices. Vegetables change hands several times before reaching retailers in Dhaka.

Each handover adds a markup.” He added that direct trade between farmers and city retailers could drastically cut prices and benefit both sides.

Farmers, however, are struggling. “Continuous rains reduced our yield this year,” said Shahidul Islam, a grower from Bogura’s Baghopara area.
“We’re not getting fair prices, and no one from the government guides us. How can we survive like this?”

According to growers, middlemen earn Tk 15–20 per kg on average, and sometimes Tk 25 or more per item like long gourd—profits that multiply by the time goods reach consumers.

Sohel Md. Shamsuddin Firoz, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Bogura, noted that small farmers remain deprived.

“Alongside production groups, we need organized agricultural marketing groups. The system must be strengthened both online and offline,” he said.

Echoing this, Md. Khalilur Rahman Sajal, Executive Director of the Voluntary Consumers Training and Awareness Society (VCTAS), blamed the long, opaque supply chain.

“Farmers sell vegetables for Tk 20–25 per kg, while city dwellers pay Tk 80–100. Middlemen pocket 50–65percent of the profit. The weak market structure fuels this inequality,” he said.