The drop in the price of rice and flour could not bring relief among low income people as the vegetable price is soaring.

The price of vegetables has increased by Tk 5-10 per kg in the last one week.

Officials and traders have blamed low supply during the Eid vacation for such a price hike.

Retailers are selling potato, one of the high demand vegetables, at Tk 45 per kg. A month ago, it was at Tk 40 per kg.

The price of other vegetables is following suit. For instance, per kg of bitter gourd was sold at Tk 70 last month. Yesterday, it was sold at Tk 120 per kg at the Mirpur kitchen market.

Similarly, the price of okra rose to Tk 50 per kilo from Tk 40. There is also no sign of relief from the high price of green chili and onion. Per kg onion (local variety) is sold at Tk 80 and the imported one at Tk 50.

Minara Begum supplies food to rickshaw-pullers, day-labourers and porters in the capital's East Tejturi Bazar. "If the price is increased by Tk 1 per kg, my expenditure rises by Tk 200-300," she said.

She spends Tk 4,000 every day to buy essentials. "Six months ago, I could easily manage my expenditure with Tk 3,500."

The retail price of imported onion was Tk 35-40 a week before Eid.

Throughout the last six months, the price of green chili's price kept fluctuating and the trend continued even after the government opened the border to import the product from the neighbouring country.

In early June, one kilo green chili was sold at Tk 130. A week before the Eid, its price began to crawl up. During the Eid vacation, its price went above Tk 600 per kg. Yesterday, it was sold at Tk 300 per kilo at Karwan Bazar.

On Wednesday, it was sold at Tk 400 per kilo in the retail market.

Fearing a drive by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, traders reduced green chili price within a day, said retailer Mosharraf Hossain.

"During every monsoon, the price of vegetables rose as many low-lying areas have been inundated due to downpour. This has created a shortage in the market," Md Selim, a retailer in the capital's Karwan Bazar.

Md Sabuj of Bikrampur Banijjaloy said the price of potato increased by Tk 2 per kg in the wholesale market. They are selling potatoes at Tk 33-36 per kg to retailers. It was sold at Tk 31-34 before Eid.

"The supply from farmers and other sources has depleted much earlier this year. As a result, we have been buying potatoes from cold storage for the last month at a high price," he said.

The imported onion is being damaged quickly and that's why the wholesalers have increased its price by Tk 10 to Tk 42-45 per kg, said Sajib Sheikh, proprietor of Matribhandar.

Meanwhile, the price of coarse rice dropped by Tk 5 per kg to Tk 50 in one month. On June 6, the retail price of per kg coarse rice was Tk 55.

On the other hand, the price of flour dropped by 2.73 to 4.93 percent in the same period, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.

Preferring to be unnamed, an official of the Department of Agriculture Marketing said there is a supply shortage in the market due to the Eid vacation. Vegetable prices may drop from the coming week, he added.

Replying to a question, he said potatoes are released slowly from the cold storages, resulting in price hike.