Dhaka Vegetable Prices Vary While Bakery Items Face 20% Hike

A recent market inspection conducted on September 11, 2026, across various areas in Dhaka, including Hatirpool, Kathalbagan, and Karwan Bazar, has brought to light notable disparities in the pricing of essential vegetables. According to the observations, retail vegetable prices at the Hatirpool and Kathalbagan markets are consistently twenty to thirty taka higher per kilogram compared to the rates found at the major wholesale and retail hub of Karwan Bazar.

Specific price points recorded during the assessment illustrate the cost burdens currently faced by consumers in different neighborhoods. At the Hatirpool kitchen market, bitter gourd (kankrol) was documented selling at eighty to ninety taka per kilogram. Similarly, teasle gourd (uchhe) and ridge gourd (jhinga) were priced at ninety taka per kilogram, while pointed gourd (potol) retailed between sixty and seventy taka per kilogram. In addition to vegetables, other staple food items maintained elevated prices, with a dozen farm eggs selling at one hundred and fifty taka, broiler chicken priced between one hundred and eighty and one hundred and ninety taka per kilogram, and Sonali chicken commanding three hundred to three hundred and thirty taka per kilogram.

Traders at the markets provided context regarding why these geographical price differences occur on a daily basis. Nur Hossain, a trader at Karwan Bazar, explained the operational dynamics behind the pricing patterns. According to Hossain, retail traders from more distant markets typically make their vegetable purchases during the first part of the night when the produce remains exceptionally fresh, which naturally comes with a slightly higher price tag. Conversely, retail traders operating directly within Karwan Bazar make their purchases during the morning hours, enabling them to secure the vegetables at somewhat lower costs.

Further elaborating on the market dynamics, other local vegetable vendors shared their perspectives from their respective business locations. Md. Helal Uddin, a vegetable businessman at Hatirpool market, along with Md. Sojib and Md. Roky, both vegetable businessmen at Kathalbagan market, and Ripon Mia, a retail vegetable vendor at Karwan Bazar, navigate these daily wholesale and retail fluctuations as they supply consumers across the capital city amidst persistent cost pressures.

Beyond the fresh produce sector, significant economic pressures are also impacting the processed food industry, leading to a major decision by manufacturers. Jalal Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Bread, Biscuit and Confectionery Manufacturers Association, detailed the severe financial strains confronting bakery owners. Jalal Uddin stated that over the past six months, the price of a sack of flour has surged from twenty-five hundred taka to thirty-two hundred taka, a drum of oil has climbed from twenty-five to twenty-six thousand taka up to thirty-five to thirty-six thousand taka, and a sack of sugar has surpassed five thousand taka.

Highlighting that flour, sugar, and loose soybean and palm oil—which has seen an average price increase of nearly ten percent, alongside an eleven percent rise in flour and a five percent rise in sugar—are the three primary raw materials used to produce items like bakery biscuits and bread, Jalal Uddin emphasized that bakery owners have their backs against the wall. Consequently, the Bangladesh Bread, Biscuit and Confectionery Manufacturers Association has decided that starting Saturday, bakery product prices will increase by twenty percent, or the weight of the items will be reduced to achieve necessary price coordination.