Prices of daily essentials rose by an average of 4.39 percent in October compared with the month before. Prices of 15 goods went up by an average of 4.39 percent, with fish rising the most. The picture comes from market data for September and October collected by Consumers Forum.
Consumers Forum said the report was based on data it gathered directly from Karwan Bazar, Rampura, Meradia, Bhuiyan Bazar in Aftabnagar, Meena Bazar and Shwapno super shop.
The report says prices of 15 kinds of goods rose in October. Fish prices rose by 11.72 percent on average. Among spices, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin rose by 10.30 percent.
Onion, garlic and ginger rose by 7.79 percent.
Fuel oil rose by 6.02 percent, sugar by 4.93 percent, and edible oil and dalda (vegetable ghee) by 4.80 percent.
Rice rose by 2.62 percent on average, flour by 3.25 percent, eggs by 1.42 percent and meat by 0.38 percent.
Prices of 7 goods held steady: salt, dairy products, toothbrushes and toothpaste, chanachur and biscuits, 11 brands of commonly used medicines, and exercise books and pens. Two fell: vegetables by 3.12 percent, and gold and silver by 4.77 percent.
Checks in Jashore, Bogura and Rangpur found that winter vegetables have started reaching the markets. Growers say they cannot recover their production costs from selling vegetables. In Bogura and Rangpur a cauliflower or cabbage sells for Tk 6 to 12, a radish for Tk 6 to 8 and a gourd for Tk 8 to 10. In Dhaka, cauliflower and cabbage sell for Tk 50, radish for Tk 30 and gourd for Tk 60.
Consumers Forum said prices of essentials rose by 3.13 percent in September and by a further 4.39 percent in October, a rise of 7.52 percent over the two months. The forum said raising pay and allowances alone is not enough: house and shop rents in towns and cities, education and medical costs and other daily expenses must also be kept within reach of the middle and lower middle classes. Unless profiteering traders are reined in, it said, public discontent will grow. If necessary, the law should be enforced to keep the cost of everyday necessities within what ordinary people can afford.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report