Inflation cooled off further in December as the food prices, which have been spiralling in recent months, came down slightly with the arrival of winter harvests.
In December, inflation stood at 5.29 per cent, down by 23 basis points from the previous month, according to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Food inflation declined 39 basis points to 5.34 per cent in December. But the non-food inflation rate increased by 2 basis points to 5.21 per cent.
Inflation declined in both rural and urban areas.
“Inflation eased as the prices of winter vegetables came down, which was higher in November,” Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute (PRI), told Dhaka Tribune.
As of Tuesday, onion and potato were sold at Tk45 per kilogram.
But the prices of onion, potatoes, edible oil and rice remain high, which is a concern as the people's income shrank due to the pandemic as well as they lost jobs.
There is no sign of falling prices of rice and some other essential items.
“That is why, the government should concentrate on imports, especially rice to ensure supply. If inflation rises further, it would add salt to the wounds of the poor.”
