Photo: Collected
Despite strict vigilance by different regulatory agencies and law enforcement during the Muslim fasting month, the price of Iftar items is higher in comparison to the previous year.
On the first day of Ramadan, as a tradition, vendors this year have inevitably struggled with the pricing of Iftar specialities, making them financially inaccessible to the urban poor.
The customers are caught in the throes of rising prices; the Iftar items are higher compared to that, a claim that Iftar sellers do not deny. Millions of customers thronged the traditional Iftar bazar in the capital, Dhaka, seems too hot to consume.
The Iftar market argues that the purchase of ingredients and other essential items has risen. The owners of the Iftar bazar have to hear rebukes and scolding of the customers every minute. That does not help to keep the price affordable for all customers.
However, there's a silver lining for those craving budget-friendly options. Despite a fresh spike in commodity prices this year, considering the trouble for a significant segment of society, the vendors sold some items at the previous year's price, albeit with a slight reduction in size, in a bid to accommodate the budget constraints of the lower middle class.
The prices of some of the essential commodities, including onion, potato, aubergine (eggplants), tomato, chicken, beef, and dates, witnessed a further rise on the eve of Ramadan in the kitchen markets of the capital city.
The government data showed that most of the essential commodities were being sold at higher prices than the logical retail prices in the city markets.
State-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) data showed that the prices of potato, broiler chicken, imported onion, ginger, beef and dates increased by Taka 5 to Taka 50 a kilogram in the past three days.
The realm of traditional Iftar delights bustles every year during the month of Ramadan. The street vendors, lavishly adorned with an array of tempting foods, beckon fasting individuals from near and far.
The biggest Iftar market at Chawkbazar in old Dhaka offers chicken, beef, mutton, and arrays of fried and cooked vegetable options, priced to reflect the current economic landscape.
The vendors, of course, attribute the inflation to a 40 per cent hike in the cost of raw materials they purchased for preparing these seasonal delicacies this year, which made the delicacies overpriced at several shops at Chawkbazar.
The other popular market is the Bailey Road. After the recent tragedy, several eateries remain closed amid the crackdown as scare for fire safety kept customers away.
The food safety agencies must strictly remain vigil of the Iftar markets in the capital and elsewhere.
Messenger/Disha
