General strikes and blockades have forced prices northward as is evident from starkly dearer essentials in most markets.
A round of the various markets in capital Dhaka on Friday revealed that the prices of essentials such as vegetables, fish, meat, egg, rice, lentil and spices were significantly higher than last month’s.
Traders held ‘anarchic’ political movements like shutdowns and blockades primarily responsible for the price spiral.
The BNP-led 14-Party Alliance enforced strikes for 10 days and blockade for three days this month to press its key demand for a non-party caretaker government to take care of the election.
Karwan Bazar wholesaler Siddiqur Rahman said supplies of essentials had collapsed because of relentless agitation.
He told bdnews24.com: “There has been a huge gap between demand and supply because of the strikes and blockade. It has impacted the commodity prices.”
According to data available with the government-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), prices of fine rice rose to Tk 38-54 a kilogram from last month’s Tk 36-50 and coarse rice to Tk 34 from Tk 32.
Imported lentil was selling at Tk 125 and the local variety at Tk 115 on Friday, against Tk 120 and Tk 105 respectively last month.Prices of local garlic rose to Tk 70-80 from Tk 60-70 and imported one to Tk 80 from Tk 65.
Ginger was selling at Tk 140-160 against last month’s Tk 120-150.
In one month, broiler chicken prices rose to Tk 130 from Tk 120-125. Prices of almost all variety of fish had risen too.
Most vegetables were selling at Tk 40.
Source: The Daily Star
