Low-income and mid-income people are mostly suffering due to price hike of essentials in Bangladesh. They are surviving on credit or purchasing less essentials. The inflation crossed 12 per cent, which is the lowest in the last 11 years.
As the price of lentils, eggs, oil and sugar increased, the general people lived on vegetables and fruit. Although the price of seasonal fruits was a bit low during the harvest period, the price is now higher. On the other hand the price of vegetables is shooting up. None of the vegetables is sold below Tk 70.
According to the agricultural marketing department, the production cost of one kg of brinjal is a little bit above Tk 10. However, this vegetable is sold ten times in the kitchen market in the capital. This is also true in the case of bitter gourd, pumpkin, cucumber and pointed gourd.
Although the consumers purchase at higher prices, the producer or farmer doesn't get the fair price. The price of vegetables is increasing due to unusual transport cost, extortion and commission business in the wholesale market. The cultivation of winter vegetables has been delayed due to rain in the first two weeks of October.
Production of vegetables has been affected due to rain and floods. Not only vegetables, the price of rice, flour, fish and meat is on the rise. Price of a sack of 24 kgs of flour has increased by Tk 70.
The concerned departments have no activities to check this instability. Earlier, the ministers and bureaucrats were vocal against the syndicate, but they are now silent. Have they surrendered to the market syndicate? The economists laid emphasis on the alternative supply of essentials to rein in the price hike of essentials. The commodities the government sells through TCB or other means are very little as per requirement. So there is no impact of this.
International market is blamed for the price hike of imported goods. But why does this happen in the case of locally produced goods? The consumers are buying goods at a higher price, but the producers are not getting the benefits of it. The middlemen are raking in the profits. If the government has nothing to do in this regard, what is the necessity of so many organisations and ministries?
The government took an initiative to establish markets at different spots to ensure fair prices for farmers. The middlemen are also active there. Those who are getting the allotment of shops, they are not genuine farmers. The government is campaigning to establish smart Bangladesh from the digital Bangladesh.
It is unfortunate that a fair market mechanism is yet to be established. How ministers and bureaucrats will control the syndicate, the syndicate is controlling them. General consumers are being affected.
There is no alternative to increasing the supply of commodities and strengthening the monitoring system to overcome this situation.