The price of potatoes, harvested in the previous season, has increased by Tk 10 in a week and now are selling at Tk 80 a kg, which traders say is an all-time high.

The new potatoes, mostly imported, were being sold for Tk 120-140 at different kitchen markets in the capital yesterday, down by Tk 10-20 last week.

However, poor-quality potatoes were available at Tk 70-75 a kg at some kitchen markets.

According to traders, the wholesale price of potatoes has gone up by at least Tk 5 a kg in a week.

This correspondent found that potatoes cost between Tk 64-68 per kg at Kachukhet, Mirpur, and Karwan Bazar wholesale markets.

Traders blamed "inadequate" supply for the price hike.

According to the wholesalers of Karwan Bazar, the stock of potatoes in cold storage is nearing an end, causing a supply shortage.

They said, in an unusual trend this year, the price of potatoes remained unusually high, or even gone up, despite the start of the harvest season. The current price hike has further destabilised the market.

"The price of potatoes at the supplier level is high on one hand; we are not getting the required supply on the other hand. We have a daily demand of 1,5000kg of potatoes, but we can only purchase 1,0000kg from the cold storage," Mohammad Sabuj, a wholesaler at Karwan Bazar kitchen market, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Sabuj said he had neither bought nor did he sell potatoes at such high prices over his four decades in the trade.

"Brokers of cold storage used to lobby us to buy potatoes, but we are now compelled to lobby them to collect the item," he added.

Traders usually purchase potatoes from Munshiganj, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Bogura, but the supply from Bogura and Rajshahi is declining, said Sabuj.

Though the rate fixed by the government is Tk 39 per kg at the cold-storage level, wholesale traders yesterday purchased it at almost double the price -- Tk 65 per kg.

Last year, the highest price per kg potato at the cold-storage level was Tk 62, which continued for two days only. The price throughout that year was between Tk 50 and Tk 55 at cold-storage level.

Mohamad Nayem, who works at a private organisation, came to East Shewrapara market yesterday and was shocked to hear the price of potatoes and questioned the trader about the reason for its price hike.

Trader Roni said adding labour and transportation to the wholesale price, the retail price becomes much higher. The retailers also have to count the wastage too.

The prices of several winter vegetables remained high yesterday despite their abundant supply in the market.

Among spices, the price of onions has decreased, with both local and imported onions retailing at Tk 110-130. These were selling at Tk 130-40 last week.

There were no significant changes in the prices of poultry and eggs. Broiler chicken was available for Tk 180-190 a kg yesterday, while Sonali chicken cost Tk 300-310 per kg.

Farm eggs were priced at Tk 150 per dozen.

Prices of some fish have gone down slightly as supply increased.