Prices of vegetables including potatoes, onions, and green chillies have increased significantly in Dhaka markets due to a supply shortage amid the countrywide curfew.

Price of green chillies increased to Tk 600 per kg yesterday from Tk 300 per kilogram on Friday .

Onion was sold for Tk 120 per kg yesterday compared to Tk 110 .

As usual, the customers are feeling the pinch.

In Nakhal Para Kitchen market, Tuhin Shubhra, a private service holder, asked a trader how much 250gm of green chillies cost.

After doing some calculation, the trader replied, "It's Tk 150."

" I couldn't believe what I was hearing," said Tuhin. Then he bought 100gm of green chillies for Tk 60.

Nilotpaul Datta, bought eight pieces of green chillies from Hatirpool Kitchen market for Tk 20.

He also bought 250gm of tomatoes for Tk 70 from the same place.

Some traders were charging more than Tk 600 for a kg of green chilli in some markets.

"I was in utter disbelief when the traders said the cost of one kg green chilli is Tk 800. Then, I bought 250gm of green chillies for Tk 200," said Wasim Hasan, who shopped at Shukrabad kitchen market.

Supply of most vegetable items declined by two to three times in the past two nights, said Saifur Rahman Chowdhury Sujan, general secretary of Karwan Bazar Arot Malik Byabshayi Samity.

However, carrying food items does not violate curfew rules.

Still, some truckers were demanding double the normal fare to transport vegetables, claimed Saifur.

In a normal night at Karwan Bazar, unloading of vegetables from trucks coming from various parts of the country start at 10:00pm and continue till 2:00am.

Wholesale selling of vegetables start at the same time and continue till dawn.

Meanwhile, at Ibrahimpur kitchen market, trader Harun Mia said green chillies were sold at Tk 600 per kg yesterday instead of Tk 300 per kg two days ago.

Meanwhile, prices of several other vegetables including brinjal and bitter gourd increased by Tk 20 to Tk 50 per kg at some of the retail kitchen markets since the curfew was imposed.

A retail vegetable trader at Ibrahimpur also cited transporation crisis as a reason behind price hike.

Even when a rickshaw-van driver agrees to carry goods, they are charging dounle the usual fare, he alleged.