OUR CORRESPONDENT
SYLHET, May 02: The kitchen market in Sylhet has been on fire over the exorbitant prices of staple protein items such as eggs, beef, mutton and fish, leaving middle and low income families in hardship.
Vendors say the increased cost of goods transportion triggered by fuel price rise has been pushing up the prices of essential food items. Although, the prices of chicken and vegetables have fallen slightly.
The prices of almost all fish, including tilapia, pabda, shoal and tengra have increased by Tk 30-50 per kg. Medium Rui is being sold at Tk 340-370 per kg, while large Rui is being sold at Tk 420-450 per kg. The prices of beef and mutton are also high with beef at Tk 800 and mutton at Tk 1,150-Tk 1,200.
The fare of trucks carrying goods has increased by Tk 5,000 due to the hike in fuel price, which is directly affecting the retail price of rice. The cost of medium quality rice has increased by Tk 2-3 per kg. A dozen of eggs are being sold at Tk 130-140, which was around Tk 110 earlier. The prices of sugar and onions have increased by up to Tk 5 per kg, while raw sugar has reached Tk 110-115.
Over the past week, the price of chicken have declined by up to Tk 50 in several city markets, including Bandar Bazar, Laldighi Par, Hawkers Market, Lalbazar, Rikabi Bazar and Amberkhana in Sylhet. Sonali Chicken is now being sold for Tk 350 to 360 and broilers for Tk 180-200.
Meanwhile, due to adequate supply of vegetables in the market, the price has decreased by Tk 20-30 per kg on average. Bitter gourd and pointed gourd is available at Tk 50-60 per kg.
Customers at the market say although they are hopeful that vegetable and chicken price will decline, they are struggling with the high prices of fish and other products. They said the government should take effective steps for "market control" and increase surveillance.
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