Exorbitant price of guava

By Ihsanul Haq, Dhaka
18 July 2006, 18:00 PM
It has been reported in a Bangla daily that this year there has been a bumper production of guava in the southern districts. The price of around 40 kg guava in Barisal is Tk. 150 to 160. This means the per kg price is around Tk 4. Therefore if we include the transportation cost of Tk 1 per kg plus a reasonable profit for wholesalers/retailers, the selling price in Dhaka city should not be more than Tk 10 per kg.

But I found that the retail selling price of guava per kg is Tk 50 to Tk 60 at Karwan Bazar. At a Department Store in Dhanmondi I found the price was Tk 90 per kg. It is clear that the fruit traders of the city are charging a very high price for a local fruit, which is unreasonable.

I would request the government departments concerned to look into this matter and take appropriate measures against the dishonest traders who are charging such high price for a local fruit.

Due to high price of local fruits the parents are unable to give fruits regularly to their children. This is affecting their nutrition and growth.