Prices of essentials in the kitchen market continue to go up in the Chittagong city from the very first day of Ramadan, to the great discomfort of the fixed income people.
The price of green chilly, tomato and eggplant jumped double keeping pace with their demand as seen in a visit to city’s kitchen markets on Friday.The people have blamed the unscrupulous traders for such price hike while the retailers held insufficient supply responsible.
‘Supplies of green chilly, tomato and eggplants have declined on the eve of Ramadan which prompted us to buy those items at high price,’ said Badsha Mia, a retailer of city’s Riajuddin Bazar kitchen market.
Green chilly sold at Tk 150 per kg against Tk 40 before Ramadan while Indian tomato soared to Tk 120 per kg against Tk 70 last week, he said.
The acute shortage of supply against consumer demands is pushing the prices up, he added.
Irad Chowdhury, a banker, vent out his discontent over the recent price hike from the onset of Ramadan.
‘There is no strict monitoring to keep the price of essentials at a tolerable level. Hoarders take it as an opportunity to make money in every Ramadan’, he said.
He bought green chilly at Tk 40 per kg and aubergine at Tk 80 per kg which was Tk 30 last week, he added.
Consumers have alleged that the price hike is designed to exploit money from the consumers during Ramadan.
-With New Age input
