Soaring sugar prices are causing concern in Bangladesh as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, with the cost of a 50 kg sack increasing by Tk 300 within days. Retail prices have also risen by Tk 5 per kg, reaching Tk 150.
This upward trend in prices is not limited to sugar; numerous products are witnessing a surge in costs as Ramadan approaches, with dates and chickpeas prominently featured among them.
A vendor attributed the escalating price of sugar to a constrained supply.
Facing the repercussions of soaring prices, a discontented customer expressed, “It is becoming difficult to buy sugar as the prices are moving up.”
Another consumer urged swift government intervention in market oversight.
Amid these challenges, retailers point fingers at unscrupulous syndicates, alleging that they are artificially driving up prices by creating a crisis. A businessman asserted that the syndicate has hiked the prices of products on the market, further exacerbated by insufficient production, making the supply of goods a formidable task.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, addressing Parliament, assured today that efforts are underway to maintain reasonable prices for essential commodities during Ramadan.
“I am optimistic that inflation will remain at an acceptable level throughout the holy month of Ramadan, and we will be able to control the prices of daily essential goods in the market,” she stated.
She added, “The government is diligently working to uphold normal prices for essential consumer goods. We have successfully curtailed the abnormal surge in consumer prices to a significant extent.”
