Rice prices increased again last week despite the government's reduced import duties on the staple, according to market sources.
Palmoil, broiler chicken, also registered a hike, further battering the consumers.
Medium and coarse rice prices have risen by Tk 2.0 a kilogram further at retail markets in the past seven days as sold at Tk 50-60 a kg.
Seasonal coarse varieties retailed at Tk 50-53 while medium-quality Brridhan-28 and 29, Lota and Paijam at Tk 55-60 a kg on Friday.
Common finer varieties remained static at the previous high of Tk 65-72 a kg.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded a further hike of 5.0-7.0 per cent in rice prices last week.
The current prices of rice are 20-48 per cent higher than that of a year ago when coarse varieties witnessed the maximum hike, it said.
Rice prices continued to rise despite the fact that the government has recently reduced import duties to 25 per cent from 62.5 per cent.
The government has also made an initiative to import 1.0-million tonnes of the staple by itself.
It will also allow another 1.0-million tonnes by private importers, according to food ministry sources.
Rice prices have witnessed a gradual hike even during this Aman harvesting season.
Data available with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute shows production might have fallen by 1.5-million tonnes than the target of 15.5-million tonnes.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said limited import through private channels might hardly impact the local market as Aman output has plunged notably for July-September floods.
The reviewed import duty of 25 per cent is also much higher which is unlikely to help reduce prices in the market for now, he observed.
Mr Bhuiyan said rice prices, especially that of coarse varieties, might not fall if high duties still exist.
He suggested that the government start open-market sale of rice countrywide immediately to take millions of poor people out of starvation.
However, the government's rice stock now stands at 0.54-million tonnes. It was 0.9 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.
However, the newly harvested onion and potato prices showed a decline by Tk 5.0-10 a kg last week.
Meanwhile, palm oil further rose in price by Tk 5.0 a litre as super palm oil retailed at Tk 102-105 on Friday.
The current palm oil prices are nearly 30 per cent higher than that of a year ago, said the TCB.
Broiler chicken prices also posted a hike by Tk 10 a kg as sold at Tk 135-145 on Friday.
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