Mashrakha  Jahan Mona 

Prices of several essential commodities have started rising again in the capital following a Tk 20-per-litre hike in fuel prices, with flour, rice, eggs, liquid milk, cooking oil, lentils, and vegetables becoming costlier over the past week.

Traders attributed the surge to escalating transportation and production costs, while consumers alleged that businesses are using the recent fuel price adjustment as a pretext to mark up prices unnaturally.

Visits to key kitchen markets across the city, including Mohammadpur Krishi Market, Town Hall Market, and Karwan Bazar, revealed a uniform upward trend in prices for almost all daily necessities.

Flour prices mount : 

Jannatul Ferdous, a buyer at Sujan Good Bhandar in Mohammadpur Krishi Market, said she purchased a 900-gram packet of rice flour for Tk 70 on Friday, which was available for Tk 66 just days ago.

"I need it for making breakfast flatbreads. Just a few days ago, I paid Tk 66, but today the shopkeeper demanded Tk 70," she said.

Selim Mia, proprietor of the shop, claimed he had not hiked prices on his existing inventory but was forced to charge Tk 2 to Tk 3 more for newly procured items due to increased transport costs. He added that prices of flattened and puffed rice are also likely to go up soon.

Packaged flour (atta), which retailed at Tk 70–75 per kg last month, climbed to Tk 80 last week and saw an additional Tk 5 increase following the fuel price adjustment. Unpackaged flour is now selling at Tk 70 per kg, while unpackaged atta is trading around Tk 50.

Newly introduced 2kg packs of atta and flour carry printed maximum retail prices (MRP) of Tk 140 and Tk 160, respectively.

Jahirul Islam, a retailer at Karwan Bazar, noted that corporate suppliers cited rising fuel costs, production overheads, and freight charges as primary reasons for consecutive price revisions over the last two months.

Edible oil, rice, and milk affected : 

The market for edible oil is facing fresh supply disruptions. Since Wednesday, half-litre and one-litre bottles of soybean oil have largely disappeared from retail shelves shortly after a Tk 5-per-litre price hike earlier this month.

Currently, a two-litre bottle of soybean oil costs around Tk 404, up from Tk 398, while a five-litre container is selling for Tk 988, up from Tk 975.

In the rice market, coarse varieties like Paijam or Atash, which sold for Tk 56–58 per kg last week, have reached Tk 60. Wholesale traders at Mohammadpur New Kitchen Market reported that transport fares for bringing rice shipments from Kushtia have increased by nearly Tk 5,000 per truckload, adding Tk 15 to Tk 20 to the wholesale cost per 50kg bag.

A dozen eggs now sell for Tk 160, while small red lentils have risen to Tk 100 per kg from Tk 90–95.

Packaged liquid milk has also registered a Tk 10 hike per litre. At Mohammadpur Town Hall, half-litre packs of major brands including Milk Vita, Farm Fresh, Aarong, and Pran Dairy are selling at Tk 55, while one-litre packs are priced between Tk 110 and Tk 115.

SM Amir Hamza Shatil, president of the Bangladesh Milk Producers' Cooperative Union (Milk Vita), attributed the revision to increased prices of gas, electricity, cattle feed, and transport, coupled with frequent power outages that force reliance on diesel generators during processing.

Vegetable market volatile :

Green chillies experienced a sharp surge, nearly doubling over the week from Tk 80–100 to Tk 160–180 per kg.

Round eggplants are currently retailing at Tk 140–160 per kg, long eggplants at Tk 100, and ridge gourd and snake gourd at Tk 80. Pointed gourd, bitter gourd, and sponge gourd are selling for Tk 70–80, while okra is priced at Tk 70 per kg—items that were available for Tk 50–60 just a week volatile