PRICES of vegetables and spices have seen a steady rise recently in the capital's kitchen markets while that of staple rice and edible oil remain steady. Similarly prices of eggs and some varieties of fish have also gone up. Flash floods and waterlogging in the aftermath of Cyclone Komen have flooded croplands in a third of the districts in the country. That coupled with torrential rains have adversely affected about a fifth of the 87,000 hectares of vegetable fields in 30 districts, including Jessore, Jheneidah, Comilla, Narsingi, Meherpur and Kushtia.

Although bad weather conditions are partly to blame for a crunch in the supply chain, we are left wondering how prices of eggs, lentils and onions have shot up to this level, as these come from regions relatively unaffected by recent floods. Needless to say, consumers other than the upper class are feeling the pinch to the fullest.

Although we appreciate the challenges faced by traders involved in the supply chain of vegetables to the capital city, it is difficult to imagine how prices of most vegetables can soar by more than 15 to 20 per cent in the span of a week. It is obvious a section of traders and vendors are taking advantage of the excuse of bad weather to push up prices. Manipulating supply is one malpractice that has become a mainstay of the syndicates involved in artificial price fixing. Authorities need to devise an effective market price monitoring mechanism to prevent consumers from being short-changed.