Trucks charging more as risk fee for vegetable transportation

Truck owners are charging vegetable traders of the northern region additional risk fee, citing nationwide unrest and curfew as reason.

Bogura vegetable traders reported having to pay an additional Tk10-20 per maund or Tk2,000-3,000 per truck to send their products to Dhaka, while supplying to Chattogram requires more.

However, traders report that supply is usual considering the season.

Bogura's Shibganj Kachamaal Aratdar Byabshayi Samity President Babul Miah told TBS that trucks are regularly transporting vegetables from the northern region to Dhaka and Chattogram.

"Transportation fees increased Tk10-20 per maund after the curfew started. Vegetable production is naturally low during this season. Fewer trucks are transporting vegetables because the supply is low," he said.

Mahasthangarh Haat NCTP Market Director Md Ainul Haque told TBS that vegetables are regularly being supplied to Dhaka from Naogaon.

Ainul, also a trader, collects vegetable from different northern districts and supplies them to Dhaka markets.

"I sent green chillies from Shantahar to Dhaka [on Sunday]. Now we are having to pay an additional Tk2,000-3,000 as risk fees to the truck drivers," he said.

The trader also added that they make use of the returning newspaper trucks to transport vegetables to Dhaka.

However, the transportation costs in significantly higher for Chattogram-bound trucks. Traders claimed that they had to pay about Tk7,000 more to send vegetables to the port city.

Transportation costs have gone up to Tk25,000-27,000 per truck from the usual Tk18,000-20,000 on the Bogura-Chattogram route.

Traders also said that due to the nearly empty routes the goods transportation is taking less time than usual.

However, the additional costs are expected to reflect on vegetable prices in the kitchen markets.