Supply chain disruption hits commodity traders and farmers

The risk of violence amidst a political crisis that culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday disrupted supply chains of essential food commodities, hitting consumers, traders and farmers.

Traders said many vehicles with fresh vegetables such as spine gourds and pointed gourds could not reach Dhaka from different districts.

As a result, prices of essential food commodities have already increased at the wholesale and retail levels.

For example, the price of onion rose to Tk 120 per kilogramme (kg) yesterday from Tk 116 a week ago. The price of pointed gourd rose to Tk 80 per kg from Tk 60 earlier at different kitchen markets in Dhaka.

Mostafa Kamal, a wholesaler of Karwan Bazar, one of the largest kitchen markets in Dhaka, said three goods-laden trucks were supposed to come to Dhaka from Dinajpur and Ishwardi at midnight of Sunday.

The trucks, carrying goods worth Tk 6 lakh, got stuck in Bogura for violence on the roads. Of those goods, there were gourds, cauliflowers, pointed gourds and sponge gourds in the truck.

"If it does not enter Dhaka within a day, there is every possibility of the vegetable rotting. If that happens, it will be a big loss," he said early yesterday.

Tensions ran high amidst a curfew and a "March to Dhaka" programme called by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement over the recent killings of people.

Over 300 people were killed in just three weeks since July 16, making it the bloodiest period in the history of Bangladesh's civil movement.

The government on Sunday reimposed a curfew for an indefinite period from 6:00pm and announced a three-day general holiday starting yesterday, which brought transports to a standstill.

Mohammad Sohel, a wholesaler of Karwan Bazar, said two trucks with 30 tonnes of potatoes were supposed to come from Bogura and Rajshahi early yesterday. Only one could enter Dhaka while another was stuck in Sirajganj's Ullapara.

Salam Sheikh, an onion wholesaler of the same market, said a total of 20 sacks of onions were supposed to come from Pabna and Rajshahi. But they could not even decide on loading them onto a truck, he said.

Mohammad Jashim Uddin, a rice wholesaler of Mohammadpur Krishi Market in the capital, said amidst the current situation, no order for rice has not been placed over the last two days despite there being a lot of demand.

The price of rice per kg has increased by Tk 2 to Tk 3 on average since Sunday, he said.

Goods cannot be sent to other big cities of the country, including Dhaka, due to a lack of transport, said Rahidul Islam, a vegetable stockist and wholesaler in Bogura's Mahasthan Bazar, one of the main wholesale vegetable depots of the northern region.

However, the prices of almost all products there have come down. Farmers are facing huge losses, he said, adding that gourds are being sold at Tk 20 per kg, brinjal at Tk 5 to Tk 15 and green chilies at Tk 100.