Vegetables in most kitchen markets have turned costlier due to the ongoing floods, one of the worst in the recent past which destroyed standing crops on millions of acres of land.

Such a situation has caused short supply of essential goods to most of the wholesale markets in the city.

Prices of rice, green chilies and onion are also soaring while the prices of red meat, chicken seems to be stable, visits on Friday to various city kitchen markets show.

This correspondent visited the capital’s Karwan Bazar, Rampura and Malibagh kitchen markets to know about the cost of the daily consumable food items.

Most of the wholesale traders, while sharing the reasons behind such spiraling of the prices of vegetable, said that due to the recent devastating flood supply fell to a great extent, especially from north-western and north-eastern districts suddenly causing demand to rise.

The average cost of the vegetables were collected from various markets and it was found that per kilogram (kg) snake gourd is selling at Tk 60, palwal is Tk 60, tomato is Tk 90, carrots is Tk 80 per kg, all types of gourd, including ribbed and sponge gourd are selling at on average Tk 50 per kg, potato is Tk 35 to Tk 40 per kg, while bitter melon and brinjal are selling at more than Tk 60 per kg, while price of green chilies has shot up to Tk 200 per kg. At Mohakhali kitchen market, long bean is selling at Tk 60, per piece bottle gourd at Tk 60 to Tk 70, papaya is Tk 40 to Tk 50 per kg, okra is Tk 60 per kg, cucumber is Tk 30 to Tk 60 per kg.

Rampura kitchen market vegetable trader Awlad Hossain told this Correspondent, "As the flood damaged most of the crops field across the country, vegetable supply is inadequate against the existing demand. As a result, all kind of vegetable prices have increased by at least Tk 10 to Tk 20."

At Rampura Kitchen Market, it was found that locally grown onion is selling at Tk 45 per kg, garlic per kg is Tk 80, ginger per kg is Tk 140 to Tk 160.

At Karwan Bazar wholesale rice market prices of all varieties of rice- fine and coarse- shot up. Per kg Minicate variety rice price is now Tk 55, Nazirshail variety is Tk 65 per kg while atap variety is being sold at Tk 48 per kg.

Rice trader Tozammel said, “Price of each kilogram of rice at retail shops has increased by Tk 2 to Tk 3 per kg, while per sack of rice price has increased by Tk 50 to Tk 100."

In the red meat market, beef and mutton were selling at Tk 600 per kg and Tk 800 per kg respectively while farmed or broiler chicken was selling at Tk 130 a kg, red layer chicken are selling at Tk 250, Sonali or local variety chickens price reduced by Tk 20 per kg.

In the fish market, it was found that, fishe price remain same like in the previous week. Per kg of hilsa is selling at Tk 900 to Tk 1050, while medium and low quality hilsa is selling at Tk 600 and below.

Chital fish was selling at Tk 500-550 per kg, Rohi is selling at Tk 280-350 per kg, Katla at Tk 300-350, Tilapia sold at Tk 140-160, Boal fish at Tk 700-900, Pangas is sold at Tk 150-180, Pabda sold at Tk 280 to Tk 350, and Shing sold at Tk 600 to Tk 700.