Coarse rice prices have registered a whopping 42% rise in the last one year, according to the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) which keeps track of the prices of daily necessities.
Prices of coarse rice, which is generally consumed by poor and lower-middle income residents, have shot up by 5% to 10% in grocery stores across the country, compared to the last month.
A kilogram of coarse rice was sold at Tk45-Tk50 while fine rice was sold at Tk55-Tk60 per kilogram at different grocery stores in the capital on Saturday.
According to TCB, coarse rice prices saw a surge of Tk3-Tk5 per kg while fine rice saw a Tk5-Tk10 hike per kg over the past month.
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The poor and underprivileged are the worst victims of this hike. Day labourers and rickshaw-pullers have found it difficult to keep their stomachs full as they mostly dependent on rice for their diet.
Md Rezaul Karim, a rickshaw puller, said: “We live hand to mouth, and rice is the staple food of my six-member family.”
“We poor people have faced serious challenges to feed our families due to the price hikes of rice and other essential commodities,” he added.
Syful Islam, a private university student, said the cost per meal in his mess hall has gone up to Tk10 due to soaring rice prices in the market.
“I have to bear all other expenses, including academic fees. The price hike is nothing more than a burden for middle-class people like us,” he added.
Solaiman Khan, a rice wholesaler at Dhaka’s Kawran Bazar, said: “What can we do if prices shoot up at the source? We buy the rice from the depots and sell it to retailers at a certain profit.”
He presumed that the rice shortage in the market could be a reason behind the latest price hike.
“The recent flash floods in the haor areas have aggravated the situation to a serious extent as well,” he added.
On June 2, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said rice prices rose due to these floods.
“However, prices will drop quickly as the government has decided to import rice,” the senior minister added.
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The government’s reserve of rice is 198,000 tonnes in the current month and was 883,000 tonnes in the same month last year, according to the Food Ministry.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam also admitted to the low rice stock of the government during a parliamentary session on June 5.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
