Price rise continues to hurt low-income group

Highlights:

• Fish or chicken curry at roadside hotels cost Tk70-80
• No vegetable available in less than Tk40 a kg in retail markets
• Light foods' prices jump by 60%-100%
• Beef price increases by Tk150 to Tk700 in two years

Constant rise in the prices of daily essentials continues hitting commoners, with the middle-class and the low-income group being the worst sufferers, forcing them to shrink their diets.  

One Abdul Jabbar, a rickshaw-puller in Kazir Dewri area of Chattogram City, could afford fish curry for his daily lunch and chicken at least two days a week. As the food items have now become pricier, he has opted for only vegetables and daal with rice. Besides, he has a family to feed.

"Now a fish item costs at least Tk70 in hotels. With rice, the price reaches Tk110 per meal. I have to eat in the hotel two times a day as my family lives in the village in Mymensingh. A meal of rice and vegetables or eggs costs Tk60. I have to send money to my family. It's a very difficult time now," he told The Business Standard.   

Two other rickshaw-pullers—Anwar Hossain and Mohammad Sumon said that not only lunch, but the cost of snacks almost doubled due to the rise in commodity prices. 

The impact of the increase in light food prices has hit them the most. They have to take snacks several times in between trips as rickshaw-pulling is a hard job, they added.

They earn Tk600 per day, of which Tk200-300 is spent on snacks, which could have been possible at around Tk100-150 two years ago, Anwar and Sumon shared with TBS.

In the makeshift tea-stalls, a cup of tea now costs Tk10-12, which was Tk6-8 a couple of years ago. Prices of bakery items like bun breads and biscuits have also increased.

At the roadside hotels, prices of fish or chicken curry have increased from Tk40 to Tk70-80 whereas light foods' prices jumped by 60%-100%. 

Mohammad Taskin, a slum-dweller from Khulshi area, told TBS that he earns Tk400-500 per day by selling vegetables in a van, of which Tk100-150 is spent on his daily meals.  

As per the data of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), in the last three years, the price of condensed milk reached Tk95 after an increase of Tk25 for each tin, loose sugar increased to Tk110 from Tk62 and powdered milk Tk830 from Tk520 per kg.   

The price of loose flour, the main ingredient of bun bread and other bakery items, increased from Tk30 to Tk62 for each kg whereas atta increased to Tk58 from Tk26 per kg. The price of edible oil increased to Tk168 per kg from Tk78 and palm oil to Tk125 from Tk60 a litre.  

Md Mizan, manager of the Well Food bakery of Chattogram, told TBS, "It has not been possible to raise the price of the [bakery] products in the same proportion as the rise in ingredient prices. Even if the price of ingredients increased by 100%, prices of manufactured items could not be increased by more than 50%". 

Besides, the price of broiler chicken has increased to Tk230 per kg, which was Tk110 before, and four pieces of eggs jumped to Tk42 from Tk32 before. 

"Currently, no vegetable can be purchased in the market under Tk40 for each kg, whereas a pumpkin or a gourd was available at Tk20-30 a couple of years ago. Okra and yardlong beans are being sold at Tk70-80 per kg at retail level. Even if the price of these vegetables was not more than Tk50-60 when they hit the market at the beginning of winter. But now all types of vegetables are more expensive. It is going out of affordability," said Omar Faruq, manager of the Caffe Alam restaurant in the GEC Intersection.

Atahar Mia, a goods-puller in Reazuddin Bazar, said, "Even a bunch of red amaranths now costs Tk25. A family needs to cook at least two bunches of vegetables for their meals, meaning Tk50 has to be spent on vegetables''.

In the last two years, the price of beef has increased by Tk150 to Tk700 a kg.

One Harun Mia, who works as a day-labourer, said that he could not afford beef for his family in the last six months, due to the high price.

"A year ago, we had fish and meat for meals three days a week, and beef at least twice a month. But the price of goods has increased so much that now it is difficult to buy fish and meat once a week," he added.