Footpath food vendors' profit declined due to rising prices of daily essentials

Muhammad Hossain runs his household by selling roti, lentils, fried eggs, and vegetables on the footpath. Every day, by seven in the morning, he arrives at the footpath in front of the TCB building in Karwan Bazar. He sets up two long tables and a few chairs and begins preparing for sales. He cooks roti and fried eggs right there on the footpath using an LPG cylinder stove. He brings lentils and vegetables prepared from home.

Most of the customers who come to eat at Hossain’s stall, now over 50, are labourers and people with limited incomes. He spoke yesterday, Tuesday, around 2:00 pm. At that time, there were no customers at his stall. He said such a situation in the afternoon had never happened before.

“Business conditions are not good. How much profit can you make selling roti and fried eggs with the way prices of goods are rising?”

For 15 years, Hossain has run his household by selling roti on the footpath from morning till evening. He said, “Earlier, I used to sell Tk 3,000 to 3,500 taka a day. Now it doesn’t even cross Tk 2,500. After expenses, I have no more than Tk 600-700 left.”

He said the prices of oil, flour, eggs, onions, vegetables, gas—everything have gone up, yet he cannot dare to increase the price of roti.
“If I raise prices, people won’t eat.”

At this footpath stall, roti costs Tk 10, fried egg Tk 20, and lentils or vegetables Tk 10 per plate.

Hossain lives with his wife and children in a semi-pucca two-room house in Gabtola, Moghbazar. His son studies in class-VIII. His daughter had been married but now lives with them after separating from her husband.

He also said his monthly income does not exceed Tk 20,000–21,000, while he pays Tk 10,000 in rent. With what remains, he cannot manage expenses for food, his son’s education, and his own medical treatment.

The food vendor Hossain added that he had taken a loan of Tk 50,000 from a cooperative. He has repaid some installments, but given the current business situation, he does not know how he will repay the full loan.

Next to Hossain’s stall, Rokshana Begum sells rice, vegetables, beef, and some other dishes. A plate of rice with egg curry costs Tk 40. Rice with chicken, fish, or beef costs between Tk 100 and Tk 130.

Rokshana Begum also said that sales have declined compared to before. When asked why, she replied, “I can’t say.”

Rokshana, in her 40's, has two sons. The elder studies in class-IX, and the younger studies at a madrasah. Her household runs on the income from selling food on the footpath. She said, “As profit keeps decreasing day by day, I don’t know what I will do ahead.”

She said that earlier she used to sell five to Tk 6,000 a day, but now it has dropped to Tk 4,000. After all expenses, she makes no more than Tk 700–800 in profit.

Rokshana Begum lives with her family on a vacant plot near the TCB building. Her husband looks after the plot. There is a small tin shed there, and since they do not have to pay rent for it, she said they are somehow managing to survive.

Yesterday afternoon, while speaking with Rokshana Begum, a man named Monir Hossain was having lunch at her stall. After eating rice with chicken and lentils, he paid a bill of Tk 90. He regularly eats at this footpath stall.

Like Karwan Bazar, there are rows of food stalls on the footpath in the Agargaon area. Yesterday at around 12:45 pm, food vendor Sumi Haque spoke there. For two years, she has been cooking at home and selling food on the footpath beside the metro station in Agargaon.

Sumi Haque said, “Those who come to eat are very ordinary people. I don’t want to raise prices. But with the way prices of everything are increasing, there is no option now.”

Sumi said she is thinking of increasing the prices of rice, fish, and meat slightly from 1 May.

“I also have to survive. If there is no profit, how will I continue selling?”

Around 1:00 pm, Halim Miazi came to eat at Sumi Haque’s stall. He had come to Agargaon for work at the Department of Social Services. After eating, he said, “If you eat at a hotel, even Tk 200 isn’t enough. Here I ate rice and fish for Tk 100.”