Low-income people in Dinajpur trying to curb expenses

The clock just struck 12:00 PM on Friday. The sun was positioned right above the heads of the 150 people who were queued up in front of a truck at the Fazilpur Union Parishad (UP) square in the Dinajpur Sadar upazila. They were waiting to buy essential groceries from Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at a slightly reduced rate. Under the beating sun, the people standing in line were also keeping their eyes open to make sure no one cuts in.

After a while, a woman stepped out of the line and was wiping the sweat off her forehead with her saree. “Apa, what did you buy?” With a faint smile, Afroza Akhter replied, “Two kg of soybean oil, two kg of lentils.”

But Afroza’s smile didn't last long. On Saturday, she is due to pay Tk 1,100 as installment for a small loan. But she had to spend Tk 460 to purchase oil and lentils. If her husband, van driver Quayum, fails to come up with the money by Saturday, she will have to borrow the sum from someone else. However, Afroza is determined to not miss her installment as it’s “a matter of pride”.

Afroza lives with her husband and two daughters. Her family consumes 60 kg of rice, five litres of soybean oil, two kg of lentils, two kg of sugar and four kg of onions every month. They seldom eat eggs and fish. Potato, pumpkin, cauliflower etc are their other staples. Recently, they have cut back expenses on soybean oil and other groceries.

Local UP secretary Masuda Parvin said that the 630 people from Fazilpur who received the government stimulus of Tk 2,500 during the Covid-19 induced lockdown and another 2,928 low-income people will get to purchase TCB products in installments.

Right beside the Fazilpur union, there is a market named Ranipur Bazar. In the grocery stores of the market, rice (BR-28) per kg was priced at Tk 55. Other items like loose soybean oil was Tk 175 a litre, onion was Tk 40 a kg and sugar was Tk 80 per kg.

The sellers said that the prices have been on the rise for the last three months. Grocery store owner Sohel Rana said, three months ago he was selling soybean oil Tk 142 per litre, sugar at Tk 68-70 per kg and BR-28 rice at Tk 48-50 per kg. Now, prices of every item have gone up by Tk 7-12.

The Department of Agricultural Marketing’s district office records also show that the prices of essential have been on the rise for the past two years. In January 2020, the price of Boro (fine) rice was Tk 42-48 per kg, Boro (regular) was Tk 34-38 per kg, loose flour was Tk 28-30 per kg, loose wheat flour was Tk 36-38 a kg, lentils was Tk 56-60 a kg, loose soybean oil was Tk 92-94 per litre and four eggs were being sold for Tk 24-28.

As per the information available at the department on Sunday, the current market price of Boro (fine) rice was Tk 58-64 per kg, Boro (regular) was Tk 50-56 per kg, loose flour was Tk 32-35 per kg, loose wheat flour was Tk 44-48 a kg, lentils was Tk 95-100 a kg, loose soybean oil was Tk 144-146 per litre and four eggs were being sold for Tk 34-36.

Faridul Islam (38) used to work as a bricklayer in Dhaka. He returned to his home in Dinajpur’s South Kotwali in last year’s February after getting infected by Covid-19. After being ill for three months, he resumed his work as a bricklayer in Dinajpur. He can earn Tk 450-500 for a day’s work. But work is hard to come by.

Faridul needs Tk 300-350 to bear every day’s household expenses. He is struggling to make ends meet. He used to buy four litres of soybean oil each month. This month he has purchased three litres. He is trying to curb expenses.

According to the latest data from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Dinajpur is one of the 10 poorest districts in Bangladesh. As per a report published in 2010, 37 per cent of residents in Dinajpur were living below the poverty line. Now the number is above 64 per cent.

Dinajpur’s Balubari area’s resident Md Milon echoed others. He makes Tk 10,000 a month from working in the Labour Union Office. His wife is suffering from diabetes. Milon said, “I have to spend Tk 2,500-3,000 for medicines each month. We somehow survive with whatever’s left. We can’t buy milk, eggs, fish, meat or fruits. Every day we have to spend Tk 80-100 on groceries.”

During Covid-19, the Union gave them 10 kg of rice and five kg of potatoes. He received no further assistance from the government. Low-income and middle-class families are going through a crisis, said Milon.