Arafat Hossain used to go to the kitchen market with Tk500 to buy essentials for his family. The sum was once enough to buy commodities for a whole week. However, now he can hardly buy anything with this amount as the prices of essentials are constantly rising.
“Now it costs more than Tk500 to buy two or four vegetables,” said Arafat Hossain, with worry visible on his face.
Many like Arafat Hossain are being forced to reduce the number of items from their grocery list as the prices of many commodities have gone up again within a week.
Rising prices of fish and poultry forced many at kitchen markets in Mirpur on Friday to turn away as no fish is available below Tk300. Prices of chicken have increased by Tk50-Tk60 in a few weeks. People are avoiding meat and fish shops due to their soaring prices.
Prices of different varieties of vegetables are still high. Tomatoes are being sold at Tk20-Tk30, eggplants Tk40-Tk60, radish at Tk30, green papaya at Tk40, sweet pumpkin at Tk40, turnip cabbage at Tk30, bitter gourd at Tk100, green chilli at Tk120, cauliflower at Tk20 (per piece), cabbage Tk25 (per piece) and gourd at Tk70 (per piece).
Bangla TribuneApart from this, potatoes are being sold at Tk20 per kilogram, onion at Tk25, garlic at Tk100 to Tk120 and ginger at Tk90.
The prices of different leafy greens have also increased while the quantity decreased. Red spinach is being sold at Tk10 per bundle while, malabar spinach (pui shak) at Tk25 and bottle gourd leaves at Tk30 per bundle.
The prices of chickens and eggs are now at the peak of discussion in the market as chicken prices have increased by Tk50-Tk60. Broiler chicken is now being sold at Tk210 per kg while red broiler chicken is being sold at TK270 and local chicken at Tk450-520 per kg.
Beef prices increased by Tk20-Tk50 and are now being sold at Tk720-Tk750 per kg.
The situation in the chicken egg market is also unstable as the prices soared to Tk140 per dozen over the course of a day.
It is becoming difficult for buyers to meet the demand for meat with fish and to pay at least Tk300 per kg to buy fish. Tilapia fish are being sold at Tk200 per kg while catla and rohu at Tk250-340, boal at Tk1,000, shoal at Tk500-600 and shrimp are being sold at Tk700-800 per kg.
Bangla TribuneThe prices of rice and lentils are also high as miniket is being sold at Tk75 per kg, paijam at Tk55, lentils at Tk100, green gram at Tk130, grass pea at Tk90 and chickpea is being sold at Tk75 per kg.
Md Manun, a buyer who came to buy essentials, thinks that there will not be any relief in the market any time soon.
“This situation is being created by the businessmen of our country. I do not think the market will ever be normal again. Once we used to buy chicken at Tk130, now the prices of chicken are over Tk200. Everything is beyond our reach,” said a worried Md Mamun.
Like Md Mamun, many fear that if this continues, the sufferings of limited-income people will increase in the coming month of Ramadan.