Persistent high prices of vegetables, fish, meat squeeze middle-income families

Stubbornly high prices across kitchen markets in Bangladesh are severely straining the budgets of low- and middle-income households, forcing consumers to drastically cut back on essential food items such as fish, meat, and even vegetables.

Although early-season winter vegetables have started arriving in retail markets, prices remain steep.

Consumers report that purchasing a basic basket of vegetables exhausts a major portion of their daily shopping budget, leaving little to no room for protein sources like fish and poultry.

Frustrated shoppers have pointed to inadequate market monitoring by regulatory authorities and alleged manipulation by syndicates of wholesalers and retailers as key drivers preventing prices from dropping.

Market checks show that seasonal vegetables are selling at prices significantly higher than previous years.

Eggplants (brinjal) are retailing at Tk 120 per kg double the Tk 60 price tag recorded during the same period last year.

Other prominent items include tomatoes at Tk 140 per kg, cauliflower and bitter gourd (uche) at Tk 120 per kg, long beans and cabbages at Tk 140 and Tk 80 respectively, green papaya and pointed gourd at Tk 40, potatoes at Tk 25, and green chili at Tk 100-120 per kg. Coriander leaves are commanding a steep price of Tk 150 per kg.

In the spice and staple aisles, local onions are priced at Tk 50-60 per kg, ginger at Tk 200, local garlic at Tk 120-140, imported garlic at Tk 200, and dried chilies at Tk 450 per kg.

Among pulses and cooking oils, fine lentils (saru mosur) are selling at Tk 150 per kg, medium lentils at Tk 100, Mung dal at Tk 180, sugar at Tk 115, bottled soybean oil at Tk 195 per liter, and open soybean oil at Tk 205 per kg.