Ramadan sees no respite from price hike

I went to a local market a few days ago to buy some fruits for Iftar, but I was taken aback by the price. Watermelon is now out of the reach of the ordinary consumers. Traders are now selling this seasonal fruit in kilogrammes, which earlier was sold without weighing. The prices of other fruits have also been hiked at least 10 to 20 per cent. There is no valid reason for such a huge jump in price. Not just fruits, the price of almost all food items has increased.

Every year in the month of Ramadan our consumption increases, and traders somehow find ways to charge people exorbitantly. This practice does not seem to have an end. For those less fortunate among us, Ramadan seems to be more of an extra burden rather than a month of blessing due to the increase in food prices.

Afroza Sheikh,

Dania, Dhaka,

ilcbd2008@gmail.com