Special Correspondent :
As Ramzan begins at sundown on Saturday, consumers are concerned by high prices of foods and essential commodities.
Many said preparation of holy Ramzan this year are becoming increasingly pricy due to unbridled price hike of all daily necessities.
Prices of many essential commodities, such as edible oil, rice, flour, sugar, red lentil and chickpeas, have marked a sharp rise at both retail and wholesale markets across the country during the last one year disturbing the household budgets of low-and middle income families.
Besides, meat, chicken and egg prices also increased significantly during the period.
Dates, which are traditionally used to break fasts during Ramzan, have also seen their prices increase by Tk 50-150 per kg during the last few weeks despite adequate supply in the market.
Amber dates imported from Egypt sold for Tk 700-1,500 per kg, Jordan Amber dates for Tk 1,200 per kg, Tunisian dry dates for Tk 300-350 per kg, Maryam dates imported from Saudi Arabia for Tk 500-600 per kg, Sukkari for Tk 700-800 per kg, Zahidi for Tk 150 per kg, and Kalmi for Tk 250-300 per kg.
Traders imported 1.12 lakh tonnes of dates at a cost of Tk 774 crore in the fiscal year 2020-21, up from 23,491 tonnes at a cost of Tk 166 crore in FY20, showed a data of the National Board of Revenue (NBR)Besides, prices of local and imported fruits have seen a significant increase in the capital and elsewhere of the country ahead of holy Ramzan.
A small pineapple is being sold at Tk 30, up from Tk 20 a month ago. Larger pineapples are being sold at Tk 50 per piece, up from Tk 30 per piece a month ago.
The price of watermelon went up to Tk 60-70 per kg in the fruit shops yesterday which was Tk 50 per kg last week.
Green coconut was selling at Tk 80-100 per piece, up from Tk 50-60 per piece a month earlier.
Local banana was selling at Tk 150 per dozen yesterday while it was available at Tk 100 to Tk 120 per dozen last week.
Malta, which was sold at Tk 140 to Tk 150 a kg few weeks ago, but it was selling at Tk 180 to Tk 220 a kg in the city’s fruit shops on Saturday. Similarly, apple was selling at Tk 180 to Tk 200 per kg while per kg apple was sold at Tk 150 to Tk 180 last week. Pear (Naspati) is now being sold at Tk 250-Tk 280 a kg, which was earlier sold at Tk 170 to Tk 180.
Shah Alam, an employee of a private organisation, said price hike of both local and imported fruits will force his family to reduce fruit consumption in Iftar.
Per kg chickpeas was sold at Tk 70-Tk 75 during March but it was being sold at Tk 80 per kg yesterday.
Besides, prices of pea-flour, a key ingredient used for preparing Iftar items, have also increased by Tk 10 per kg.
On Saturday, per kg pea-flour being sold at Tk 55 to Tk 70 from Tk 55 to Tk 60 a week ago.
“The Ramzan table used to be rich with all kinds of lavish foods and Iftar items,” said Monira, a garment worker, adding, “How can I afford enough food and Iftar items for my family during this Ramzan when prices of everything have gone up enormously.”
She said prices of essential commodities have marked sharp rise in the last one year. Price hike continues even if Ramzan nears. “Common people like us always suffer from unusual price hike. But nobody cares for us,” added Monira, a mother of two, who lives at the capital’s Mugda area.
Data from Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) showed that the prices of essentials, including flour, edible oil, sugar, red lentil, eggs and onions, had increased by 10 to 40 per cent in one year.
The skyrocketing prices of daily necessities have increasingly eroded the purchasing capacity of low-income people who are desperately chasing after TCB trucks for buying commodities-soya bean oil, red lentil, sugar, gram-at subsidized rates.
A huge rush of people to buy essential items at subsidised rates from the TCB operated trucks was observed in different parts of the capital city throughout last week.
Rising food and commodity prices have also pushed up the overall inflation rate in Bangladesh.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, inflation in the country increased to 6.17 per cent in February while it was below 6 per cent in January.
“It has become extremely difficult to survive when the prices of everything have increased significantly,’ said Goni Mia, a security guard of a residential building at Mugda in the city.
He added: “Everything has become expensive and I’m worrying about breaking my fast in the evening as I cannot afford necessary food and Iftar items. So, this Ramzan will be worst in my life.”
Besides, prices of some vegetables which have high demand during the fasting month of Ramzan have increased considerably in the Dhaka’s kitchen market as wholesalers take advantage of the Ramzan rush.
On Saturday, brinjal was sold at Tk 70-80 per kg depending on quality, which was Tk 30-40 last week. Cucumber sold at Tk 30-50 last week, but yesterday it sold at Tk 60-80, traders said.
Yesterday, large size lemons are being sold at Tk 50-100 (per four) which was Tk 40-60 last week. Small size lemons (per four) sold at Tk 15-25 last week, but this week, they are selling at Tk 25-35.
However, prices of onion, the most sought after item in Ramazan, remained stable in the market giving the much-needed relief to the consumers.
Onion was selling at Tk 30 to Tk 50 per kg depending on quality.
“Increased demand has pushed up the prices of vegetables which widely consumed during the Ramzan.
MA Hashim, a wholesale dealer of vegetable at the capital’s Karwan Bazar market told The New Nation adding, “There is no supply shortage of vegetables in the market.”
Moreover, beef prices remained high in the city markets and it was selling at Tk 700 per kg yesterday. In February, per kg beef was sold at Tk 650.
“Price hikes ahead of Ramzan are a common phenomenon. A powerful syndicate of traders and importers hike the prices in several phases before the government take stringent measures to control the market prices,” said Najer Hossain, vice president of the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB).
“But, prices foodstuffs and essentials have increased significantly this year in Bangladesh and all over the world due to global supply chain snarls and the war between Russia and Ukraine,” he noted.
Hossain also said that all the government agencies should work together and bring this rise in cost of foodstuffs to affordable levels so all of us can have a successful Ramzan.
A senior commerce ministry official said that the government’s market monitoring teams will be deployed, making round-the-clock visits to check prices during the holy month of Ramzan and take action against vendors who are overcharging customers.
He said, the government’s agencies concerned are closely monitoring the supply and price movement of essential commodities so that manipulators cannot create any artificial crisis in the market.
Meanwhile, prices of sugar, edible oil and chickpeas have dropped by Tk 150 to Tk 300 per mound at Khatunganj wholesale market in Chattogram after the government agencies launched drives to check market manipulation by dishonest traders.
Traders said adequate supply and hefty import of the commodities pushed down their prices last week.
According to data from Chattogram Custom House, more than 3.73 lakh tonnes of edible oil, including crude soya bean and refined palm oil, were imported through the Chattogram port in the three months from November to January, up from 3.59 lakh tonnes in the same period a year ago.
Chickpea imports reached around 62,165 tonnes while the figure was 183,450 tonnes for the dried variety between November 2020 and January 2021, up from 63,120 tonnes and 162,034 tonnes respectively the year before.
In the same period, about 38,043 tonnes of sugar were imported, the data shows.
