Why Are Fruits So Expensive? High Prices Hit Bangladeshi Households Hard
Mohammad Jahangir went to a fruit stall in Dhaka on Sunday. He wanted oranges for a relative with dengue fever. He found fruit prices unusually high, costing him over 100 Taka for each orange.
Many other families face this same problem. Fruit sellers, like Mohammad Badshah, are not lowering their prices. He said oranges cost 450 Taka per kilogram.
Market visits show many fruits are costly. Tangerines sell for 450 to 480 Taka a kilogram. Pomegranates are even more expensive, from 450 to 650 Taka per kilogram. Apples cost 380 to 520 Taka a kilogram, and grapes are 480 to 550 Taka a kilogram.
Local fruits are not cheap either. Good quality ripe papaya costs about 120 Taka a kilogram. A medium papaya can be over 150 Taka. Even common fruits like guava and pomelo are expensive for many.
One main reason for high prices is increased demand. Dengue patients need fruit juices, especially oranges and tangerines. So far this year, 184 people have died from dengue. Over 61,972 patients have gone to hospitals.
Doctors advise dengue patients to drink fruit juice. Professor Robed Amin, a dengue specialist, said patients lose body fluids quickly. Fruit juice helps replace these lost fluids and salts. This high demand has also made green coconuts expensive, selling for 150 to 220 Taka each.
Another big reason for high prices is import taxes. Imported fruit has very high duties and taxes, totaling 122 percent. This means for every 100 Taka of fruit, an extra 122 Taka is added in taxes. The US dollar has also become stronger, rising from 86 Taka in 2022 to 123 Taka now.
Economist Ahsan H Mansur said these high duties are not acceptable. He believes such high taxes are kept for government income. But they can also create chances for dishonest officials to take money.
Bangladesh imports 38 types of fruit. In July, 23,717 tonnes of fruit entered the country. This rose to 41,186 tonnes in August. Even with more imports, prices remain high.
Fruit consumption in Bangladesh has increased since 2016. However, rising prices since 2022 may be reducing how much fruit people can afford. Ahsan H Mansur urged the government to take steps. He said everyone, including children, needs fruit for good health.
