Consumers have received some relief from falling prices of a few vegetables in Dhaka’s kitchen markets as supplies improve, but the overall cost of daily essentials remains high due to rising prices of flour, edible oil, fish, chicken and eggs.
Vegetable prices have followed a mixed trend over the past week, with some items becoming cheaper while others seeing sharp increases. The uneven movement has kept household grocery bills under pressure.
A visit to several kitchen markets in the capital on Friday found green chilli selling for Tk150-160 a kg, up from Tk120 last week. Snake-beans rose to Tk120 a kg from Tk80, while round brinjal increased to Tk140 from Tk120.
Cucumber prices also climbed to Tk80 a kg from Tk50-60 last week. Beans were selling at Tk220-230 a kg, compared with Tk180-200 earlier.
However, some vegetables became cheaper. Tomato prices dropped to Tk100 a kg from Tk120-140 last week, while papaya declined to Tk30 from Tk40.
Ridge gourd, bitter gourd and snake gourd were selling at around Tk80 a kg, showing little change from the previous week.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) listed green chilli prices at Tk80-160 a kg, brinjal at Tk80-120 and cucumber at Tk50-80, broadly matching the market ranges.
Vegetable traders said prices depend largely on supply volumes at wholesale markets. Lower arrivals push up prices, while increased supply helps bring them down.
Flour prices climb
Meanwhile, flour and refined wheat flour prices have increased in recent weeks, adding further pressure on consumers.
According to TCB data, loose flour is selling at Tk48-50 a kg, while loose wheat flour is priced at Tk65-70. Market visits found packaged flour selling at Tk80-85 a kg.
A grocery trader at Karwan Bazar said wholesale flour prices had recently increased, with a 50-kg sack rising to Tk2,800 from Tk2,500.
The rise has also worried bakery businesses. Traders had considered increasing the prices of bread and biscuits but postponed the move after a meeting with the commerce minister, pending a review of production and marketing costs.
Chicken, eggs stay expensive
Chicken and egg prices have remained elevated despite some fluctuations in other essentials.
Broiler chicken was selling for Tk190-200 a kg on Friday, around Tk20 higher than one and a half months ago. TCB’s price range was Tk180-200.
Sonali chicken was priced at Tk340-360 a kg, while hybrid or colour-bird chicken sold for Tk300-330.
Brown farm eggs were selling for Tk150 per dozen, while white eggs were around Tk140.
Traders said floods, heavy rainfall and excessive heat in recent months had affected production at some poultry farms, reducing supply and keeping prices high.
Fish prices also remained beyond the comfort of many consumers. Large rohu was selling for Tk400-420 a kg, katla at Tk420-440, pangasius at Tk250-300, tilapia at Tk250-280 and pabda at Tk400-450.
Shrimp was priced at Tk800-900 a kg, while tengra sold for around Tk700 and baim or mud eel for Tk700-800.
A fish trader said high wholesale prices, along with transportation and other costs, were preventing retailers from reducing prices.
Household budgets squeezed
Consumers said the problem was not that every item had become more expensive, but that rising prices of several essentials were cancelling out the relief from cheaper vegetables.
Many households said they were cutting spending on eating out, outings, clothing and other non-essential items to manage rising expenses.
Private-sector employee Md Monjur Ahmed said his family had reduced outings as such expenses left less money for essential purchases. Another private-sector employee, Md Robin, said he had cut back on spending on clothes.
For now, lower prices of some vegetables are offering limited relief, but the continued high cost of flour, edible oil, fish, chicken and eggs is keeping pressure on household budgets.
