Dhaka shoppers struggle with price hike

For many families in Dhaka, the weekly market has become a calculation of what to leave behind. Eggs are dearer, vegetables remain stubbornly high, and chicken prices have climbed again just weeks before Eid-ul-Azha, deepening the pressure on low- and middle-income households already struggling with rising living costs.

A visit to several kitchen markets in the capital on Friday showed that most vegetables were selling at elevated prices, while the price of eggs rose to Tk150 a dozen. Broiler chicken was being sold at Tk200 per kilogram, Sonali chicken at Tk330 to Tk350, and local chicken at Tk700 to Tk800 per kilogram.

Traders said chicken prices had fallen slightly after Eid-ul-Fitr, but started rising again this week. Last month, Sonali chicken sold for Tk300 to Tk320 per kilogram, while local chicken was available at around Tk650 to Tk700. Broiler chicken, which was selling at Tk170 to Tk175 per kilogram after Eid, has now reached Tk200.

Anis Mia, a chicken trader at Rayer Bazar, said broiler prices had remained relatively low after Ramadan, but increased again in recent days. “We sold broiler chicken at Tk170 to Tk175 per kilogram after Eid.

This week, the price has gone up and we are now selling it at Tk200. Sonali chicken has increased by Tk15 to Tk20 per kilogram. Local chicken is hardly available, and when it is, the price is above Tk700,” he said. The price of onions has also increased by at least Tk10 per kilogram within a week. Local onions are now selling at Tk45 to Tk50 per kilogram, compared with Tk35 to Tk40 a week earlier. Ginger has also become costlier, rising by Tk10 to Tk20 per kilogram and selling at Tk170 to Tk190.
Traders said onion prices were still within reach for many consumers, but middlemen were taking advantage of higher demand. They said much of the onion stock had already moved from farmers to large traders’ warehouses. However, garlic prices remained stable due to sufficient supply of local garlic in the market.

Vegetable prices showed little relief. Most vegetables were selling for no less than Tk70 to Tk80 per kilogram. Green papaya, one of the cheapest items in the market, was selling at Tk60 to Tk80 per kilogram. Brinjal was selling at Tk90 to Tk120 depending on quality.

Other vegetables, including okra, snake gourd, sponge gourd and ridge gourd, were selling at Tk80 to Tk100 per kilogram. Bitter gourd, yardlong bean and kakrol were even costlier, selling at Tk100 to Tk120 per kilogram.

Egg traders blamed the latest price hike on lower supply. Soleyman, an egg seller, said traders had to buy eggs at higher prices from the wholesale market. “The supply of eggs is lower than before. We are buying at higher prices from wholesalers, and that is affecting retail prices,” he said.

Consumers said the market situation was becoming increasingly unbearable. Many said they were being forced to cut down on protein and vegetables as prices of basic food items continued to rise.

With Eid-ul-Azha approaching, shoppers fear the market may become even more unstable unless monitoring is strengthened. For low- and middle-income families, the rising prices of eggs, chicken and vegetables have turned daily food expenses into a growing burden.