Anti-Formalin Drives
Supply shortage pushes up fruit prices
The prices of mangoes and litchis increased in the city’s retail markets in the last few days due to a supply shortage of the summer fruits amid government’s drives against chemically-treated fruits. The government began the drives against the malpractice on June 9. On June 13, Dhaka Metropolitan Police set eight check posts in different areas of the city to conduct such drives.
Traders said the supply of mangoes and litchis almost halved in the last one week after the DMP had destroyed consignments of the summer fruits in the last couple of days under its anti-formalin drives.
The price of mangoes rose by Tk 20-Tk 30 a kilogram and that of litchis by Tk 50-Tk 100 a bundle (100 pieces) over the week.
Habib Miah, a trader at the Shantinagar kitchen market, told New Age on Monday that the langra variety of mangoes was selling at Tk 110-Tk 120 a kg and the himsagar variety at Tk 100 a kg.
The varieties had been selling at Tk 90 a kg and Tk 80 a kg respectively in the last week.
He said that a supply shortage pushed up the prices of the items as the flow of the supply of the seasonal fruits had been disrupted due to the government’s anti-formalin drive.
Omar Ali, a vendor at the Rampura kitchen market, said that the prices of litchis increased to Tk 350-Tk 400 a bundle from Tk 300 a bundle.
‘Most of the growers are not bringing litchis to Dhaka as a large number of consignments of the item have been destroyed by the DMP at the check posts as the administration found that the fruits were treated with formalin,’ he said.
Abdul Quader, a lawyer, on Monday bought some litchis from the Karwan Bazar kitchen market at Tk 400 a bundle but he was not getting enough confidence that the fruits were not chemically-treated.
‘It is difficult to believe that the fruits that are being sold in the city are free from chemical treatment,’ he said.
Karwan Bazar Adarsha Fol Baboshahi Arrot Malik Samiti president ASM Mahbubul Alam told New Age on Monday that the supply of mangoes and litchis on the wholesale markets had decreased by 60 per cent in the last one week and so the supply shortage on the retail markets was normal.
‘We welcome the government’s drives against chemically-treated fruits. But it is unfortunate that a number of consignments that were not chemically-treated had also been destroyed,’ he said.
He said that the drives had made a panicky situation among the fruit growers and traders.
Mahbubul also said that a good number of makeshift fruit shops had disappeared from the city in the last few days due to supply shortage of the summer fruits and fear of harassment.
Mostofa Zaman, a fruit grower at Kansat in Chapainawabganj, said that farmers usually use at least four types of chemicals for the growth and ripening of the fruits but not formalin.
‘I have produced near about one thousand mounds of mangos but now I am in fear of loss as the wholesalers are not willing to buy the product amid the drives and truckers are also unwilling to carry the fruits to Dhaka fearing harassment,’ he said.
-With New Age input
