Food prices in Dhaka have gone up again, and this time it’s hitting both vegetables and rice. Traders say rain and the end of the growing season have led to a drop in supply, which is driving up costs.
Prices for most vegetables have climbed across local markets. At the same time, the cost of rice—particularly the coarse variety—has seen a steady rise.
Vegetables Get Costlier Across the Board
At various city markets, sellers listed price jumps for common items. Tomatoes have nearly tripled in price. Bitter gourd, eggplant, pointed gourd, and others are also selling at higher rates.
“Everything’s more expensive,” one vendor said. “Tomatoes, green chili, even coriander—everything went up by 10, 15, sometimes 20 taka.”
Shoppers noticed it too. One man pointed to onions selling for 60 taka a kilo, potatoes at 25, ginger and native garlic at 120. Bitter gourd and green chili? Both at 80 taka.
“Buying vegetables has become stressful,” said a woman carrying two bags. “We try to manage, but it’s not easy.”
Rice Prices Climb, Too
Over the last two weeks, the rice market has turned unstable. Miniket, a common fine rice, has gone up by 8 to 10 taka per kilo. Now, even coarse rice has increased by 1 to 2 taka.
“For lower and middle-income families, this makes budgeting difficult,” one regular buyer said. “Miniket is the one that’s hurting the most.”
A man buying a sack of coarse rice nodded in agreement. “A small increase every week may not seem like much, but it adds up.”
Poultry Prices Mixed, Fish Slightly Down
While broiler chicken prices have stayed somewhat stable—or even dropped slightly—cock and native chicken are selling at higher prices.
“Sonalí chicken is expensive now,” said a vendor. “Broilers are cheaper, but the rest? Not so much.”
Fish prices offered some relief. Compared to Friday, many varieties saw slight decreases. Large katla sold at 380 taka per kilo, ruhi at 350, and local tengra at 800. Pabda and large local puti were going for 400 and 600 taka respectively.
“I already placed an order for katla,” said one shopper. “It was 550 before Eid. Today it’s 500. That feels fair enough.”
Grocery Staples Hold Steady
The price of cooking oil is stable. The mood of the shoppers is not. They want more government oversight—a watchdog to prevent prices from suddenly exploding.
One shopper summed it up quietly: “We can’t control the weather. But we need someone to control the market.”
