Customers browse fruit stalls at a roadside market in Paltan, looking for fresh produce for their iftar platters. Prices have risen again on the eve of Ramadan, following a previous surge just a week earlier. — FE Photo by Asad-Uz-Zaman 
A fresh spiral in prices of foodstuffs people eat after breaking fast, 30-50-percent pricier on average this year, marks the start of holy Ramadan.
People's expenses get another spurt for swelling costs of sugar, pulses, potatoes, onions and other spices, cucumber, tomato, brinjal, chickens, beef, dates, puffed rice, flattened rice and so.
The key essentials of Ramadan are 20-180-percent higher this year compared to that of last year, resulting in a surge in costs of Iftar items, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh and city groceries.
Mubarak Ali, a restaurateur at West Dhanmondi, says 'jalebi' (sweetmeat made with flour, sugar and edible oil) price has been fixed at Tk 340-360 this year for thin one and Tk 260-280 a kg for large one.
Ali mentions that sugar price has fuelled up to Tk 155 a kg this Ramadan which was maximum Tk 140 a kg last year.
In his view flour and edible-oil prices are almost static this year against that of last year. "But jalebi needs lots of sugar as the item is soaked in sweet syrup."
They are going to sell cooked chickpea at Tk 260 a kg to make 15-percent profit as raw-chickpea price reached Tk 130 a kg, which was Tk 110 a kg last year.
Moreover, onion is Tk 100 a kg at wholesales in a rise from Tk 35 a kg last year, he says in a comparative account of market manners as a reason for the price upturn.
Ajgar Hossain Badsha, a restaurant owner at Zakir Hossain Road in Mohammadpur, makes special potato chop.
"I have to raise price of a chop by Tk 5.0 per piece amid almost double price of potato this year," he told the FE correspondent, adding that onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seed and other 'garam masala' are 40-80-percent dearer this year.
At his shop 'piaju' per piece will be Tk 10 which was Tk 5.0 last year. Piaju is fry item made with khesari pulses, bason (pulses powder), onion, chilli and other spices.
Badsha said prices of khesari pulses shot up to Tk 140 a kg this year.
Beguni, the fry item made of sliced brinjal, soaked with bason and spices, will be priced Tk 10 for rising costs.
Meanwhile, companies have raised prices of muri or puffed rice by Tk 20 a kg as 500-gram packet soared to Tk 70.
Loose muri sold at Tk 100-120 a kg, marking a Tk 20 hike.
However, prices of eggs, edible oils and flour are almost static or, to some extent, lesser compared to last Ramadan, according market insiders.
Md Rahat, a grocer at Jigatola in the city, said prices of dates increased 50 per cent this year.
"We are selling medium-quality dates at Tk 600-650 a kg, up from Tk 400-450 a kg last year," he says.
He says investment has increased while profit is minimised for such hike in prices.
Coarse dates, however, sold at Tk 300 a kg which was hardly 200 a kg last year.
However, TCB data showed different kinds of pulses saw an increase by 20-24 per cent in price this March compared to that of last year.
Finer lentils were selling at Tk160-165 a kg, finer mung bean Tk 190-200, chickpea Tk120-130 and khesari Tk 130-140 a kg this year.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) vice-president SM Nazer Hossain says people's expenditure might go up by above 30 per cent due to "illogical hike in essentials' prices".
"Prices of all kinds of commodity had witnessed unprecedented hike long ahead of the Ramadan as the government almost failed to control the market from the manipulators," he adds.
He thinks effective market monitoring on a regular basis must be a priority for government agencies to provide consumers with some relief.
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