Fish became costlier last week, adding to sufferings of the people already in a fix amid skyrocketing prices of essentials.
Both cultured and indigenous varieties of fish witnessed a price hike of Tk50-Tk100 a kg in a week amid low catches as well as rising transport cost.
Garlic also witnessed Tk30-40 rise per kg further in a week.
Prices of other essentials remained at their previous highs.
Cultured koi, ruhi, katla, pangas, tilapia and other fish varieties witnessed Tk40-50 a kg hike.
Cultured ruhi was being sold at Tk350-500 a kg, Katla at Tk320-450 and Pangas at Tk260-300 a kg based on size and quality.
Prices of riverine ruhi, katla, hilsa, pabda, shrimp, shoul, tengra and bele also saw a hike.
Indigenous Ruhi (above 2.5 kg in weight) was being sold at Tk460- 700 a kg and Katla at Tk450-650 a kg at Karwan Bazar, Shantinagar and New Market on Friday.
Ilish was being sold at Tk600-1,450 a kg depending on size and quality at Tk 100 a kg hike in a week.
Meanwhile, the price of local garlic increased to Tk100-Tk120 a kg and imported one to Tk130-150 a kg, marking Tk40 hike.
Secretary of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said cultured Pangas, Koi, Tilapia and farm eggs are key protein sources for the poor.
A gradual hike in prices of fish and other protein items has been hurting the poor further when the prices of rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, sugar, and most of other essentials have already witnessed a record surge in the last one and a half years, he added.
He suggested stricter market monitoring as well as taking initiatives by the government to minimize production costs of the agricultural produce.