Cost of living rises as prices of essentials mount up
People have to buy daily necessities at higher prices, although most of them have lost income because of the Covid-19 pandemic
Monir Hossain Mithu was bargaining with sellers while buying vegetables at Mofiz Haji Kitchen Market in Dhanmondi. Because the prices of all items were high, he had to trim down the list to complete the shopping.
"You cannot buy vegetables as per your choice because the prices of most of the vegetables have gone out of the reach of the general people. Various vegetables are being sold at Tk60-70 a kg. Potato and green papaya, the prices of which never crossed Tk25-30 per kg in the last two years, are now selling for Tk40," he said.
After talking to buyers at several retail markets including Shukrabad, Hatirpul, Shantinagar and Rampura in the city, it was learned that vegetable prices have been skyrocketing for more than a couple of months.
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Buyers have to buy daily necessities at higher prices, although most of them have lost income because of the Covid-19 pandemic and are now facing extra pressure to run their family.
Arefin Rony, a shopper who came to shop in Shantinagar market, said, "The price of rice is high, the prices of vegetables are high, and the price of chilli has skyrocketed. Now onions have been added to this list. As a result, we have to trim down our food menu to keep pace with the income."
A visit to retail markets on Thursday showed that green chillies were being sold at Tk200 per kg and onions at Tk90-100. However, the price of imported onions was Tk70-75 per kg.
It cost Tk70-80 to buy one kg of aubergine. The prices of spiny gourd, ribbed gourd, snake gourd, okra, etc were not below Tk60. New beans were available in the market at Tk120-150 a kg.
Md Idris, a vegetable vendor at Shantinagar market, said, "Many vegetables were damaged in the recent floods. That is why the prices have gone up."
However, in the fish market, Hilsa has brought some relief though sellers said it would not last long. The price of Hilsa has already increased by Tk50-100 per kg.
It cost Tk38 to buy a hali of farm chicken eggs and Tk110 per dozen on Thursday.
According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) market analysis, eggs price has increased by more than 6% in a month, which is 4.35% more than the same period last year.
However, the price of broiler chicken is at a tolerable level. One kg of chicken was available at Tk125-130 on the day. The price of beef has also come down since Eid-ul-Adha. Beef was being sold at Tk550-575 per kg, down from Tk600 per kg earlier.
