Shawdesh Desk:

Prices of essential commodities continue to rise in city kitchen markets, dealing a great blow to low and lower-middle income people who are already under inflationary pressure.

The people with limited income are now struggling to cope with the rising costs of living due to the continuous rise in the commodity prices.

Many of them have been compelled to borrow money from different sources for their survival amid the skyrocketing prices of essentials.

Prices of most of the commodities, including chicken, egg and rice, inflated further on Friday.

During a visit to Mohammadpur Kitchen Market, it was seen that chicken, egg, rice, atta, maida, garlic, palm oil, ginger, cumin and vegetables were selling at higher prices.

Venting his anger, Aminul Haque who was buying vegetables from a shop at the market, said there is no respite from the spiralling prices of daily essentials. “The prices of commodities increase every week, affecting us badly.”

He said they had to cut the food intake to cope with the increasing prices.

Farm eggs were selling at Tk 140 per dozen. The price of the item skyrocketed to Tk 160 per dozen last month but it declined to Tk 120 per dozen in the first week of September.

The price of broiler chicken remained high at Tk 180 per kg while that of layer chicken increased to Tk 300 per kg from Tk 280 and Sonali chicken saw a hike by Tk 20 to Tk 320 from Tk 300 per kg.

The egg market started to become unstable again after a break for the last few weeks, said Md Shahin of Padma Broiler at the market.

He said the prices of chicken and eggs have increased at the retail level.

The egg price has increased by 3.26 percent in a week, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).

The price of fine quality rice has increased by 2.27 percent and it was selling at Tk 63-72 per kg while that of medium quality rice by 1.85 percent to Tk 52-58 per kg, according to TCB.

While visiting rice shops at Mohammadpur Natun Katcha Bazar, it was seen that fine quality Miniket was retailing at Tk 70 per kg while Nazir at Tk 75-80 per kg, Jirashail at Tk 64 per kg, medium quality BR-28 at Tk 56 per kg and coarse Shorna was selling at Tk 50 per kg.

Md Lokman of Allahrdan Rice Vandar at the market told the Daily Sun that prices of both fine and coarse rice have increased again in the market.

A 25kg sack of Rashid brand Miniket was selling at Tk 1,750 while Indian Miniket was retailing at Tk 1,700 and Teer Jirashail at Tk 1,600, he said.

Loose atta has seen a 5 percent rise in its price while packet flour price increased by 1.45 percent, palm oil by 0.38 percent, local garlic by 14.23 percent, local ginger by 14.06 percent and imported ginger price increased by 8 percent, according to the TCB data.

Not only the rice, egg and chicken, most of the vegetable have also got costlier.

The price of early variety bean has increased to Tk 190-200 per kg from Tk 120-140 per kg while that of carrot to  Tk 150-160 per kg from Tk 120-130, brinjal to Tk 70-100 per kg from Tk 50-70.

Registering a rise by Tk 10, cauliflower was selling at Tk 60 per piece while the price of pointed gourd increased to Tk 70 per kg from Tk 50, okra to Tk 60 per kg from Tk 50, ribbed gourd to Tk 90-100 a kg from Tk 70, snake gourd to Tk 70 each kg from Tk 60 and bitter gourd price increased to Tk 100 per kg from Tk 60-80.

Tomato and yardlong bean were selling at high prices at Tk 120-130 per kg and Tk 80 a kg respectively, said Md Shamim, owner of a vegetables shop at the market.

Each kg of green papaya cost a consumer Tk 25 per kg, a gourd was selling at Tk 70 per piece and cucumber at Tk 70 per kg.