Fixed-income families suffer as essential food prices soar
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Sellers increase the prices of goods and services as soon as the announcement of a salary increase for government officers and employees is made. However, because the new pay scale is being implemented in phases and is not yet fully effective, no major negative impact has been seen in the market yet.
Even so, people are struggling when they go to the kitchen market. The prices of everything, including fish, chicken, eggs, and vegetables, are high. Middle-class people with fixed incomes are suffocating in the daily necessities market.
Such a picture was seen after visiting Dhaka’s New Market, Mohammadpur Krishi Market, Karwan Bazar, and Etimkhana Road kitchen market. Although the prices of some products have decreased slightly in the market, overall, buyers are not getting relief from the pressure of high prices.
As a result, let alone shopping like before with the same income, they constantly have to cut back just to meet household needs.
Tanveer Ahmed, a private sector employee, was standing at Mohammadpur Krishi Market with a shopping list in one hand and a small bag in the other. Signs of fatigue were on his face and eyes.
He said, “Even last week, I came to the market with Tk 2,500 and could do at least a trimmed shopping for the whole week. Today, I have brought the exact same amount of money in my pocket, but the bag is not even half full. Tomatoes cannot be touched, and one has to be shocked hearing the price of eggplants.”
Remarking that entering the rice, lentil, and spice market raises one’s blood pressure, he complained, “Cumin is Tk 600 per kg and cardamom is Tk 4,500. If the pocket gets empty just to buy a little spice, then what will I do the rest of the shopping with? There isn’t even an extra Tk 50 left in the pocket to buy a fruit for the kids.”
Discomfort in the vegetable market
This week, the most discomfort has been created by the prices of several daily essential vegetables. Tomatoes, which were sold at Tk 90-100 per kg last week, are now Tk 120-130. That is, the price has increased by nearly Tk 30 per kg within a week.
The prices of round and long eggplants have also increased. Although sold at Tk 70 per kg last week, they are being sold at Tk 85-90 this week. However, the price of green chilies has decreased slightly to Tk 140.
The price of pointed gourd has decreased to Tk 50 from last week’s Tk 60. However, this is not bringing relief to buyers in the market. Potatoes are being sold at Tk 55-60 per kg. The price of local onions also remains within Tk 50-60, similar to last week.
No relief in spices and oil either
Not only in vegetables, but prices of other daily essential commodities are also increasing pressure on the middle-class budget. Red lentils are being sold at Tk 145 and mung lentils at Tk 150 per kg. The price of cumin is Tk 600 per kg. And the price of cardamom has reached Tk 4,500.
Standing in the market, housewife Rahima Begum also shared the same regret. According to her, the middle class now lives a life of cuts. “Red lentils are Tk 145 and mung lentils are Tk 150 per kg. The curry that could previously be cooked with a bit of thick lentils and spices, now everything has to be reduced there. The fire of the market has reached their plates.”
The price of soybean oil also remains in the Tk 200 range. Due to the long-standing high prices in the rice, lentil, sugar, and spices markets, many families are forced to shorten their list of essential products.
Who is to blame for the extra price?
A different kind of reality and helplessness was caught in the voices of the sellers.
Abul Kashem, an elderly vegetable seller of New Market, said, “Buyers get angry with us, thinking we are overcharging them. But the tomatoes that I brought from the wholesale warehouse for Tk 80 last week and sold for Tk 95, this week the wholesalers are not giving them for less than Tk 115 under the pretext of rain. Even if we sell them keeping a slight profit, the price exceeds Tk 130.”
Shafiq Miah, a businessman of Etimkhana Road, also spoke of a similar problem. “If there is no change in prices from the supply hubs and mill levels, we also do not have much to do in the retail market. Transportation costs have also not decreased. All in all, we are struggling just to keep the rates stable.”
As a result, in this tug-of-war between the wholesale and retail markets, the pressure ultimately falls on the consumers. Where income is fixed, as prices of daily commodities continue to rise, the middle class is shortening their list of household necessities.
For some, spices are decreasing in cooking, and for others, relatively expensive items like tomatoes and fruits are being dropped from the shopping list.
Market insiders said unless effective monitoring on transportation costs, supply systems, and wholesale markets is increased, it will be difficult to reduce this high-price pressure. And as that pressure increases, the purchasing power of people with fixed incomes will decrease even more.
