The consumer price inflation in the country rose to 7.50 per cent last month, its highest level since August, 2013.
Leading economists believe that it is due to a lingering effect of the two months' political turmoil.
However, the inflation rate was 7.35 per cent in December last year.
The non-food inflation accelerated by 0.65 percentage point to 5.53 per cent last month. But the food inflation which had recorded its highest level in 23 months in December last fell marginally to 8.81 per cent in January.
This monthly 7.50 per cent point-to-point basis inflation remained much higher than that of the government's annual average inflation target of 7.0 per cent.
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) released the latest monthly consumer price index (CPI) inflation Wednesday at its headquarters in the city.
Dr. Zaid Bakht, Director (Research) at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) said this rise is due to the lingering effect of two-month-long political turmoil that had disrupted supply chain adversely.
Dr. Bakht said it will take time to ease the prices of both food and non-food products. "Our economy bled substantially during November -December, so it will take time to normalise everything."
Dr Ahsan H Mansur, Executive Director at the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) said the non-food inflation rose due to wage-push pressures in different sectors. "There is a spillover effect of wage spikes in the economy, it leads to push housing rents and other non-food products up," Mr Mansur said.
Mr. Mansur said the food inflation fell last month following improvements in supply chain as there were several blockades and shutdowns in the month.
"January was comparatively peaceful month in terms of blockades and general strikes."
"There was adequate supply of winter vegetables and rice in the market in January," Mr. Mansur said.
The prices of some essential food products dropped significantly in the month.
Dr AK Enamul Haque, an economist at the Dhaka-based Economic Research Group (ERG), told the FE that he did not get any strong reason behind the rise in inflation in January.
He said there was adequate supply of food products in the kitchen markets and prices of a number of goods in the international market recorded downward trend.
Sugar prices in the international marker are falling as a result of good harvest in Brazil and India.
Power prices in the local market also remained unchanged for around one year.
"But, I think this is partly due to the slow rate of imports of some goods in the last few months," Mr. Haque said.
Mr. Haque said the non-food inflation might rise further in the next couple of months following upazila polls.
"Polls have some effects on the inflation. It helps rise in the prices of some non-food and food products," Mr. Haque, also head of Economics at the United International University, said.
BBS Director General Golam Mostafa Kamal said the prices of the food item came down in January as the country's political situation improved a bit in the month.
Mr. Kamal said the wages picked up too in January. The general wage rate index rose to 9.16 per cent on point-to-point basis. It was 9.0 per cent in December last year.
The BBS said the prices of rice, pulses, atta, fish, meat, edible oil, milk rose in January compared to previous month of December.
The month-to-month inflation rose by 1.46 per cent in January over December. The month-to-month non-food inflation surged by 1.71 per cent in January against December, 2013.
However, food inflation in January at rural level was recorded at 8.39 per cent and at 9.80 per cent in urban areas.
The non-food inflation stood at 5.17 per cent in January, at the rural areas while it was 6.04 per cent in urban areas.
