Despite the proposal of the national budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 in Parliament yesterday, its impact has not yet been reflected in the capital’s kitchen markets. On Friday, the day after the budget announcement, most vegetables continued to sell within the previous price range of 50 to 80 BDT per kilogram.
Due to it being the off-season, tomatoes topped the list as the most expensive vegetable, retailing at 120 BDT per kg. Aside from a few exceptions, the prices of other vegetables remained unchanged compared to the previous week.
Current Market Scenario
A survey of various kitchen markets across the capital revealed a consistent pricing trend. The price breakdown for key vegetables in today’s market is as follows:
| Vegetable | Price (in BDT) |
| Tomatoes | 100 – 120 per kg |
| Green Chilies | 120 per kg |
| Cucumbers | 100 per kg |
| Round Eggplants | 80 per kg |
| Yardlong Beans (Borboti) | 80 per kg |
| Gourd (Lau) | 70 – 80 per piece |
| Long Eggplants | 70 per kg |
| Bitter Gourd (Korola) | 60 per kg |
| Pointed Gourd (Potol) | 60 per kg |
| Ridge Gourd (Jhinga) | 60 per kg |
| Snake Gourd (Chichinga) | 60 per kg |
| Sponge Gourd (Dhundul) | 60 per kg |
| Okra (Dherosh) | 60 per kg |
| Ash Gourd (Jali) | 60 per piece |
| Papaya | 50 per kg |
| Sweet Pumpkin | 50 per kg |
| Green Bananas | 50 per four pieces (Hali) |
Consumer Insights
Shoppers visiting the markets on the weekly holiday expressed relief but remained observant. Saidur Rahman, a private sector employee who came to Malibagh market, noted the lack of immediate budget impact.
“I came to the market the day after the budget was announced. The prices of all types of vegetables remain the same as before—they haven’t gone up, nor have they gone down. Almost everything is hovering between 50 and 80 BDT, with only one or two items touching 120 BDT,” Rahman said.
Echoing similar sentiments at a market in the Badda area, another private jobholder, Sultan Ahmed, said, “The vegetable market has been stable since last week. Yesterday’s budget announcement has had no visible impact on vegetable prices so far. Everything is selling at pre-budget rates.”
Sellers’ Perspective
Traders noted that while prices were steep earlier this month, the market has cooled down slightly over the past week.
Yasin Ali, a vegetable vendor at Rampura market, explained the supply dynamics: “At the beginning of this month, vegetable prices were quite high, but they have dropped since then. For the last week, most items have been selling within the 50 to 80 BDT range. However, because it is the off-season, tomatoes are priced at 120 BDT and cucumbers at 100 BDT. Compared to earlier weeks, the rest of the market is relatively affordable.”
