A persistent surge in kitchen market commodity prices continues to strain consumers, driven by a combination of unrest due to blockade programmes, excessive rain and inflation.
Prices of essential goods, far from decreasing, are spiralling out of control.
Viting the capital's major wholesale market Kawran Bazar on Friday (July 12) showed vegetables have seen significant price hikes.
Tomatoes at Tk180-200, chili at Tk250, carrots at Tk90-100, cucumbers atTk 90-100, brinjal at Tk70-80, and guard at Tk40-45 per kg.
In the past week, prices of almost all vegetables, except for guard and brinjal, have increased.
Traders attribute this surge to recent floods and the anti-quota student movement, which have submerged vegetable fields and disrupted transportation.
Consequently, the supply has diminished, driving prices up, they added.
Onions have seen a dramatic price increase, from Tk80-90 per kg last week to Tk110-120 this week.
Potatoes are now selling at Tk60-70 per kg, ginger at Tk320, and garlic at Tk220 per kg.
Consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to afford these daily essentials.
"Our income is not rising, but the price of everything keeps going up. If this continues, it will become impossible to sustain our households," said one buyer.
Many are urging the government to intervene and stabilise the market.
Rashedul Islam, an employee of a private company, expressed his desperation over the widening gap between his stagnant income and soaring expenses.
With a family to support, including two children, the rising cost of living and school expenses are overwhelming him.
"The kitchen market is beyond the reach of the middle class. How are we supposed to survive?" he asked.
Rashedul called for immediate government action to prevent the market from spiralling further out of control.
The meat market is also experiencing price hikes.
Broiler chicken has increased by Tk10 per kg from last week, now selling at Tk180-190 per kg.
Sonali chicken is priced at Tk 280-320, local chicken at Tk700-730, white layer chicken at Tk 260-280, and red layer chicken at Tk350 per kg.
Beef is sold at Tk750 per kg, mutton at Tk1,200-1,250 per kg, and eggs at Tk140-150 per dozen.
Fish prices have also surged.
Tilapia, a staple for many, is now Tk200-230 per kg, while farmed tilapia costs Tk200-240.
Depending on size, Rui is priced at Tk380-450, Katla at Tk400-450, Koral at Tk700, Tengra at Tk600-700, Boal at Tk700-800, and Ilish at Tk850-900.
As commodity prices soar unchecked, the call for government intervention grows louder.
Without effective measures, the common consumer faces an increasingly precarious situation under the pressure of market syndicates and inflation.
