In Mymensingh, people are flocking to students’ shops to buy vegetables at affordable prices. The students have come to the side of the common people amid the uncomfortable condition of vegetable prices in the market. A group of students of Mymensingh’s Anand Mohan College has taken the initiative to deliver vegetables directly from the farmer to the consumer level at a fair price.
Their activities have received a lot of response. People are flocking to students’ shops to buy vegetables at affordable prices.

On Monday (21st October 2024), the students started this program of selling vegetables at a fair price in front of the open forum of the college. Runs till 12 noon. The shop is placed opposite the main gate of Anand Mohan College. The shop is being run by the initiative of ordinary students. Different types of vegetables are arranged on the table.

Nilufar Yasmeen (50), a resident of Boundary Road area of ​​the city, saw the post on Facebook and came here to buy vegetables. He was returning home with a bag full of vegetables. She said, the price of all vegetables is lower here than in the market. After the movement, the market was bearable as there were no syndicates for a few days. Everything is more expensive now.
If the students keep this activity going, the price of the goods may decrease in the market.

Students are getting 13 types of vegetables in the fair price shop. They sell vegetables from the local market at a low price in this shop.

Raw chillies are sold at Tk 250 per kg in their shops but are being sold at Tk 300-400 in the market. A lot of lati was being sold at Tk 80 per kg, which is Tk 100-120 in the market.
Even if the drum sells for 70 taka, it is 80-100 taka in the market. Long brinjal is sold at Tk 80 but it is Tk 100-120 per kg in the market. Small brinjal is sold at Tk 130 per kg but it is being taken in the market at Tk 150 per kg. Besides, students are selling cucumbers at Tk 50 per kg, which are being sold at Tk 70-80 in the market. Patol is sold at Tk 80 but it is sold at Tk 100 in the market, potato is sold at Tk 55 but is being sold at Tk 60 per kg in the market. Students are selling gourds for 55-60 rupees each. Cauliflower is selling at 25 taka, laushak and radish greens at 35 taka.

Anwar Hossain is one of the entrepreneurs selling vegetables at a fair price. He is also the Mymensingh coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Anwar said, I am able to sell vegetables at a low price by collecting them from marginal farmers. The price of vegetables in the market increases due to several handovers from the farmers. Even after collecting from farmers and adding transportation cost, everything is being sold at 20-30 rupees less than the market.

He also said that after the current government came in through the students’ uprising, the syndicate has increased the prices to make this government controversial. People are suffering from it. For this reason, students have taken initiative to facilitate farmers and consumers. As the farmer is getting a fair price, the consumer is also able to buy at a lower price. As long as the market remains stable, our operations will continue.

Aman Ullah, principal of Anand Mohan College, said that syndicates and middlemen are profiting by selling vegetables at high prices. The initiative to sell vegetables at fair prices to students will alleviate this to a large extent. If such initiatives spread across the country, the syndicate traders will refrain from such activities.