CHATTOGRAM, May 05: Prices of daily essential items are silently but steadily increasing in Chattogram's kitchen markets, leaving buyers struggling with uncontrolled inflation.
Traders raised prices just before Eid and have continued to hike them daily, according to buyers. The price hikes are making life difficult for the middle class, as expressed by Sangita Chowdhury, a school teacher who visited Kajir Dewri Bazar.
The price of a 5-litre bottle of soybean oil has surged to Tk 960 from Tk 900 before Eid, while ginger now costs Tk 200 per kg, up from Tk 150 before Eid. Similarly, the price of sugar increased to Tk 135 per kg on Friday from Tk 120 per kg before Eid.
The cost of broiler chicken has risen to Tk 240 per kg. Local chicken is now Tk 650 per kg, up from Tk 550 during Ramadan, while Sonali chicken costs Tk 370 per kg, compared to Tk 320 during Ramadan.
After Eid-ul-Fitr, the price of all fish has increased by Tk 50 Tk 100 per kg. Coral fish is now selling at Tk 900 to Tk 1,000 per kg, and Rui fish is priced at Tk 400 to Tk 450 per kg.
Green chillies are at Tk 170 to Tk 180 per kg, and beef is now priced at Tk 750 to Tk 800 per kg, up from Tk 700 to Tk 750 per kg before Ramadan.
The prices of rice and flour were also raised during Ramadan and have yet to decrease. Miniket rice is priced at Tk 70 to Tk 75 per kg, while medium-quality rice is Tk 55 to Tk60 per kg. Flour is selling at Tk 78 to Tk 80 per kg.
Abdus Salam, a trader at Reajuddin Bazar, attributed the rise in essential goods prices to the increasing cost of transportation.
After increasing at the fastest pace in seven months in March, consumer prices have slowed slightly to 9.24 per cent in April, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
April inflation was still 2.95 percentage points higher than the same period last year, the BSS data showed on Wednesday. Food inflation fell to 8.84 per cent in April from 9.09 per cent in March. Non-food inflation remained unchanged at 9.72 per cent.
Meanwhile, consumer rights advocates have expressed concern over the dire financial situation of low-income households, many of whom have been forced to reduce their food intake due to soaring prices.
They note that despite declining consumer goods prices in the global market, monetary and fiscal policies have failed to effectively regulate the country's market due to inadequate monitoring measures.
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