Dhaka:Prices of essential commodities across the country increased by an average of 4.39 percent in October, largely due to significant hikes in fish and spice prices.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Consumers Forum (CF) compiled data from various markets in Dhaka, including Karwan Bazar, Rampura, Meradia, Aftabnagar's Bhuiyan Bazar, Meena Bazar, and Shwapno super shops, revealing that prices of 15 key categories of goods rose during the past month.
Fish prices saw the most considerable increase, with an average rise of 11.72 percent. Spices, including cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin, experienced a 10.30 percent increase. Additionally, prices of onions, garlic, and ginger climbed by 7.79 percent. Other notable price hikes included fuel oil at 6.02 percent, sugar at 4.93 percent, edible oil and dalda at 4.80 percent, flour and maida at 3.25 percent, rice at 2.62 percent, eggs at 1.42 percent, meat at 0.38 percent, and tea at 0.14 percent.
Conversely, the prices of seven essential items, such as salt, dairy products, toothpaste, biscuits, major medicines, and stationery, remained stable. Meanwhile, prices declined for two categories vegetables fell by 3.12 percent, and gold and silver by 4.77 percent.
Field reports from vegetable supply hubs like Jashore, Bogura, and Rangpur indicated that winter vegetables have started arriving in local wholesale markets, although producers are facing challenges in recovering their production costs. In regions such as Bogura and Rangpur, cauliflower and cabbage sold for Tk 6-12, radishes for Tk 6-8, gourds for Tk 8-10, and plantains for Tk 5-8 per hali. However, in Dhaka, cauliflowers and cabbages were priced around Tk 50, papayas and radishes at Tk 30, gourds at Tk 60, and plantains at Tk 40-50 per hali.
The Consumers Forum noted that essential commodity prices had already risen by 3.13 percent in September, resulting in a cumulative two-month increase of 7.52 percent. In a press release, CF General Secretary Emdad Hossain Malek emphasized that raising wages alone is insufficient. The organisation urged authorities to keep essential living expenses, including urban house and shop rents, education, and healthcare, within the purchasing power of middle and lower-middle-income groups. The forum also called for strict administrative and legal actions to curb excessive profit-seeking by unscrupulous traders and safeguard public welfare.