Puffed, flattened rice prices up during Sylhet flood
Prices of all food items necessary for immediate relief assistance in flood-affected areas in Sylhet have seen a sudden spike.
Both buyers and sellers complained that prices had risen due to producers and suppliers rather than shortage of goods.
Prices of puffed rice, flattened rice, and molasses have increased the most among dry foods. Additionally, prices of accessories, such as candles, have increased too, reports our Sylhet correspondent.
A trip to Kalighat, Sylhet's largest wholesale market, revealed that these products are now priced at least 1.5 times higher than they were prior to the flood. Additionally, sellers claimed that the costs are constantly increasing.
Sacks of flattened rice were being sold at between Tk 1,000 and Tk 1,300 before the flood, but now they are going for between Tk 1,400 and 1,800. Puffed rice was previously sold at a wholesale price of Tk 60–70 per kg, but is now being sold at Tk 100–110 per kg. And molasses used to be sold for between Tk 80 and Tk 85 per kg, but now it costs Tk 120 per kg.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was informed about the market price of dry foods yesterday (June 21, 2022) during her visit to Sylhet by Sylhet Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury.
"Even if we can afford it, we are not getting dry food in Sylhet. I'm trying to get food from Sreemangal, that too in a small amount. There won't be enough food for the children here if it doesn't come from Dhaka," he said.
Fakhrul Islam, deputy director of Sylhet divisional office of Consumer Protection Department, told The Daily Star, "We had earlier feared that price would rise and our monitoring was ongoing to keep prices in the market under control. Prices have gone up a bit due to the increase in transportation cost, but we are asking traders in the wholesale market to keep the prices at a tolerable level."
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