People, particularly low, middle and fixed-income groups, have been hit hard by the price spike of the essential commodities ahead of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

Apart from the daily essentials, demand for certain commodities like rice, sugar, chickpeas, meat and different kinds of vegetables goes high.

Lack of market monitoring is also responsible for the price hike, experts said. The holy month of Ramadan is knocking on the door, and in the meantime, the prices of daily essentials are going up.

Prices of all of the essentials, including rice, sugar, flour, garlic, ginger and cooking oil, increased since a couple of months and it turned terrible last month across the country. Prices of atta, potato, onion, chickpeas, beef and broiler chicken have increased further this week.

Khairul Islam, a private company employee, told the Daily Sun that the price of everything has increased, and how much will it increase? “When the price of essential products will decrease? If the price of something increases in the country, it does not decrease,” he said.

Beef price increased to Tk 750-780 from Tk 720-750 per kg in a week and broiler chicken price increased to TK 260 per kg from Tk 250 per kg in a week.

Sonali chicken prices hit Tk 350 per kg and layer chicken prices hit Tk 310-320 per kg and egg prices hit Tk 140-150 per dozen, according to the retail price of the kitchen market in the capital.

Along with chickpeas, the price of skinless chickpeas also increased by Tk 5-10 per kg and was sold at Tk 90 to Tk 95 per kg in the market. Apart from this, anchor dal has increased by Tk 10 to Tk 70-80 per kg and similarly the price of beson has increased to Tk 105 per kg.

Loose sugar was sold at Tk 115 to Tk 120 per kg against the government's fixed price of Tk 107 per kg.

Ginger and garlic prices are still high at the kitchen market while onion price increased by Tk 5 per kg. Local onion was sold at Tk 40 per kg and imported onion was sold at Tk 40-45 per kg.

Loose white atta price increased by 2.61 percent in a week and was sold at Tk 58-60 per kg, packet atta price increased by 1.50 percent in a week and was sold at Tk 65-70 per kg and potato price increased by 2.44 percent in a week and was sold at Tk 20-25 per kg in the capital.

Ruhi and Katla fish was sold at the previous high price Tk 350-400 per kg and tilapia and pangas was sold at Tk 200 per kg. Farmed koi price increased to Tk 260-300 per kg and mrigel price increased to Tk 350-400 per kg. The price of tengra, shing, guchi and boal was Tk 650-800 per kg.