Photo: BSS

DHAKA, March 15, 2026 (BSS) – The price of most essential food items including home grown ones remained stable since the beginning of Ramadan but disrupted supply system caused by the Middle Eastern situation shit up prices of some imported items.

Consumer and officials said commodities including regularly eaten rice, atta, pulses and spices found at stable position at different kitchen markets in the city for the last three weeks.

But, they said the prices of chinigura pelau rice, edible oil, chicken and certain types of vegetables shot up significantly ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr with traders attributing the spiral to transport problem due to the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israeli war against Iran.

They said the price of all sorts of rice like miniket, nazirshail, paijam and BR-28 remain stable for the last two months while the price of chinigura pelau rice rose significantly as the Middle Eastern War created extra pressure on the commodity price.

The retail price of per kg fine variety rice sold at Taka 70-85, medium variety at Taka 55-68 and coarse variety at Taka 48-52.

“The price of all sorts of rice remain stable for the last two months due to stockpile of huge imported volumes and huge supply by the rice millers ahead of upcoming boro season”, said Tajul Islam of New Shah Ali Rice Agency of Mirpur-1 government rice arat.

As of early 2026, the government has approved importing over 6 lakh tonnes through new permits, with 50,000-tonne, 2-lakh-tonne, and other consignments from India and Pakistan authorized to boost stocks and control rising prices.

But according to rice traders the existing transport problem due to shortage of fuel raised the transport cost for the last one week.

“The transport cost from Naogaon to Dhaka now reached to Taka 22,000, per shipment of 280-300 sacks of rice while it was Taka 14,000 a week ago,” one of the traders said.

On the other hand, the price of per 50-kg pelau rice packs now reached Taka 7,200 from the earlier price of 6,600 ahead of Eid, said Shawpan, a manger of Satata Rice Agency of Mirpur section-1.

Morshed Ahmed, a wholesaler of KR Rice Agency of government Krishi Market of Mohammadpur, said the price or pelau rice has shot up significantly due to a ‘syndicate’ by a group of rice trading companies.

Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) president AHM Shafiquzzaman criticized the role of the businessmen saying a section of them was manipulating the trading of pelau rice and exceeded the price of the commodity extensively.

The CAB president said the present government should to take action against the monopoly of the businessmen as they are taking privilege of the Iran war in creating instability in the commodity market.

The CAB president urged the commerce ministry to carry out market monitoring by the Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection as the government intervention remains suspended.

The price of red lentil sold at Taka 90-105, per kg, local variety at Taka 150-160 and mug dal at Taka 120-180 while the price of all sorts of lentils remain stable for the last one month, according to the daily market price compiled by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).

The TCB index showed price of loose atta declined by 1.16 percent, packet atta by 1.71 percent, garlic by 9.52 percent and ginger by 2.70 percent while the price of soybean oil increased by 4.71 percent in a week.

Meanwhile, the price of broiler chicken reached to 220,per kg,  sonali at Taka 350, per kg, from Taka 170 and Taka 280, a month ago.

The unit price of potato sold at Taka 18-20, onion at Taka 35, garlic at Taka 60 while it was Taka 20-25, Taka 40-60 and Taka 80-140, respectively a month ago.