The soaring price of essentials in anticipation of the strict lockdown in Khulna has increased the sufferings of the low and middle-income earners.
They have been struggling to make ends meet and now surviving seems to have become the hardest challenge for them now.
The prices of edible oil, vegetables and other essentials were on the rise due to the multiple syndicates in the market, claimed many consumers.
The lack of price monitoring reinforced the syndicates and unscrupulous practices of the traders.
For over a month bottled edible Soybean oil (five litres) was being sold for Tk680-Tk700. Non-bottled edible oil was Tk140 per litre.
This week as well, the price of almost all vegetables including onions, green chili, potato, papaya, brinjal, cucumber, pumpkin increased by Tk10-20 per kg.
Saiful Islam, a trader in Sandha Bazar in Sher-e-Bangla Road, said prices of all vegetables and essentials were trending high. The strict lockdown in the district leaves no room for the prices of essentials to decrease.
Meanwhile in different retail markets of the town, lentils were sold for Tk75-Tk120 which had been sold last week for Tk70-Tk110.
In this situation consumers sought the intervention of higher authorities for price monitoring.
