93 tonnes of green chilli imported from India

About 93 tonnes of green chillies arrived in the country within a week after Bangladesh allowed the import of the kitchen essential due to skyrocketing prices, according to a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Till now permission to import 36,830 tonnes of green chillies has been granted, said a ministry official.

After the Eid holidays, 55 tonnes of raw pepper arrived in the country till this afternoon and more will come later in the night, said the official.

When consumers are struggling to deal with the soaring prices of essentials, the retail price of green chilli hit a record high of Tk 700 a kg in the capital and other parts of the country's kitchen markets yesterday.

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Green chilli sells for Tk 700 a kg!

The price of chillies decreased in the span of one day after the news of the import. In Karwan Bazar, chilli was being sold today at Tk 400 per kg wholesale and Tk 600 retail.

Just about a month ago, retailers in the capital sold green chilli for Tk 100 to Tk 120 a kg.

Traders blamed supply dearth and damage to crops from bad weather for the abnormal hike in prices.

To cool down the prices, the government permitted the import of green chilli ahead of Eid. But the move is yet to make any impact on prices.

"Chilli cultivation was hampered this year due to bad weather. That's why the production has fallen compared to last year," said Md Idris Ali, a development officer at the Department of Agricultural Extension in Pabna.

On June 26, the Ministry of Agriculture allowed the import of raw pepper, which will remain in place for the next three months.