Discrimination in the market

Vegetables are being sold under the banner of Anti-discrimination Student Movement in Bogura. Vegetables are available there at a much lower price than the regular market. The situation reveals the discrimination in prices of same product in the market.

The vegetable sellers of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement claim that they are selling vegetables at a price of Tk 5 per kg more than the purchase price, in a bid to build a syndicate-free market.

On the other hand, the traders of the regular market claimed that the traders of the student-organised market are buying and selling low quality vegetables. That is why they are being able to sell at lower prices.

They also claimed that they do not buy those low-quality vegetables from the wholesale market.

During a visit at the market of anti-discrimination student movement at Phultala under Ward No. 13 of Bogura municipality around 11:30 am on Friday (November 8), this correspondent saw a crowd of customers thronging the shops of vegetable sellers. Onion was selling for Tk 115 per kg, pepper Tk 115, potato Tk 65, garlic Tk 220, brinjal Tk 65, bitter gourd Tk 65 and pointed gourd Tk 40 at that market. At a regular kitchen market next to the students’ market at Phultala, potato was selling for TK 70 per kg, onion Tk 120-150 depending on the type, garlic Tk 240-320, brinjal Tk 70, bitter gourd Tk 80 and potato Tk 50 per kg.

Azizul Islam, a vegetable trader at Fultala’s regular market, said that they can also reduce the prices of vegetables.

“But in that case low quality vegetables have to be sold. Traders from the students’ market asked us to reduce the price of vegetables in the market. In response, we said that if quality vegetables can be bought as per the demand at lower prices, then we can also reduce the prices,” he claimed.

Nur Mohammad Jubair, a vegetable seller at the student-organised market, said, “The sale of vegetables has started today in Fultala Bazar. We started this activity in Satmatha area of the city a week ago.”

He said that they will gradually sell vegetables in all markets of the city.

Vegetables being sold at Fultala’s students’ market were bought at wholesale prices from Rajabazar in the city in the morning.

Jubair also said that from tomorrow (Saturday) the vegetable market will start selling vegetables at Bogura's Mahasthangarh market.