Turkey: Vegetable prices soar, rarely found below Tk100

A variety of autumn vegetables, including eggplants, bitter gourds, ridge gourds, sponge gourds, pointed gourds, taro stolons, bottle gourds, sweet pumpkins, and snake gourds are now available in the market. However, consumers must search across the market to buy vegetables priced below Tk100 on this list, as affordability becomes scarce. Traders attributed the surge in vegetable prices to heavy rains during the first week of October, which disrupted the supply of vegetables. Long eggplants, for instance, have witnessed a significant price increase, soaring from Tk60-70 to Tk100 per kilogram. Additionally, consumers opting for round eggplants must allocate an extra Tk20-40 per kg. Bitter gourds, locally known as Korolla, are now priced in the range of Tk100-120 per kilogram. Sponge gourd (Dhundal), Ridge Gourd (Jhinga), snake gourd (Chichinga), and even taro stolon (Kochur Loti) are commanding prices exceeding Tk100 per kilogram. For those who prefer smaller-sized gourds, they are ...