The middle class in Dhaka is suffering the most as the price of daily commodities keep increasing for the last few months.
“Everything is beyond the reach of the middle class like us. It will be difficult to survive if it continues like this,” said Abul Hashem, a resident of the Paikpara area of the capital.
The market is becoming unbearable for city dwellers as the prices of commodities like rice, pulses, oil, sugar, eggs, fish, meat are already high for the last couple of months and their miseries have intensified with the price of vegetables going beyond the reach of lower-income people during the peak season.
While visiting Shah Ali market of the capital, it was seen that the price of rice has shot up by Tk3-Tk5 per kg.
Coarse rice is being sold at Tk48-Tk50 per kg, which was Tk45 a month ago, the price of the medium varieties at Tk56-60 per kg and the finer rice varieties including jeera, miniket and Nazirsail are sold between Tk66 to Tk88 per kg depending on brands and quality.
On the other hand, the retailers at the market blamed the wholesalers for the increased price and said that the price of rice increased even in the peak of Aman harvest and trading season due to the upsurge in Covid-19 cases, high import duty and the mounting transport costs.
The price of loose soybean and palm oil increased by Tk4 per litre, soybean is being sold at Tk145-Tk150 per litre and super palm at Tk140 per litre.
The bottled soybean oil is being sold at Tk160 per litre, but as per the instruction of the Commerce Ministry, the price will further go up by Tk8 per litre within the next few days.
Earlier, the refiners have decided to sell bottled soybean oil at Tk168 per litre from January 8 after placing a proposal to the Commerce Ministry, according to the Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (BVORVMA).
The scenario in the kitchen markets of Karwan Bazar, Malibagh, and Rampura was also the same, according to sources.
Moreover, according to TCB the price of packed flour has also increased by Tk3-Tk4 per kg from Tk40-Tk45 per kg; however, the consumers said that the retail price is even higher in reality.
Coarse lentil price has also shot up to Tk100 to 105per kg from Tk95-100 per kg, intensifying the sufferings of the poor and the middle class.
Abdul Barek, a consumer from the Mirpur area said that the price of vegetables during winter seems higher than every season.
“The sellers are arbitrarily setting a price, cutting into our budget with excuses such as high transportation cost etc.,” said Abdul Barek, a consumer from the capital’s Mirpur area.
However, the price of onion, potato, garlic, ginger, chillies, and broiler chicken was lower.
Meanwhile, multiple sources from Khatunganj Market and City Group have said that the price of sugar is at a tolerable level and it will come down further in the coming months.
“Although the prices in the international market have come down, due to booking at higher prices, the prices are still increasing in the domestic market, but will go down in the coming months,” said a trader from Khatunganj market of Chittagong.
The rise in imports has pushed up the value of the dollar in the country's market which according to the traders is also contributing to the rise in prices of daily commodities.