Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (September 1, 2022) reiterated her call to the countrymen to put concentration on boosting food production, savings and showing austerity in all stages in the wake of global crisis.

The government today starts selling rice at subsidised prices in an effort to give respite to the poor and low-income earners and bring stability to the volatile rice market.

The fuel price should have been left as it is instead of the Tk 5 cut per litre, which is unlikely to have any visible impact, said Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister.

The government is going to fix the prices of several commodities, including rice, lentil and flour, to check price manipulation by unscrupulous traders in the local market.

The government yesterday slashed the import duty on rice and is also working to import about 12 lakh tonnes of food grain including rice as it looks to rein in the price of the staple amid a cost of living crisis.

A parliamentary watchdog yesterday came down heavily on Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun for the price spiral of sugar despite ample supply of the commodity.

The government yesterday hiked the price of soybean oil for the fourth time this year even though the price of the product in the international market held steady in the past month.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has demanded punitive measures against anyone found manipulating prices in the domestic egg market.

Azmat Ali is a daily wage earner in the northern district of Lalmonirhat. Just a week ago, he bought coarse rice for Tk 44-45 a kg. But yesterday he found the price of the staple rose to Tk 52.

The government is taking a host of measures to cool down the overheated prices of essentials in the wake of the record fuel price hike earlier this month, which is expected to escalate the already elevated official inflation figures.

People’s struggle to cope with the escalating cost of living continues as the price of rice increased yesterday for the second time in just four days.

People struggling to keep up with rising prices of essentials have to spend even more on food since the government hiked fuel prices a week ago. 

The recent hike in diesel price increased truck fares by 22-25 percent, leading to rice, vegetables and some essentials to become dearer in the capital.

Edible oil processors have proposed a hike of Tk 20 per litre in the price of soybean oil on the ground of the significant depreciation of the taka, which has raised their import cost.

The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh yesterday started selling essential items across the country at subsidised rates to one crore low-income families that have TCB cards.

The bottled soybean oil price has been reduced by Tk 14 a litre at retail.

The wholesale and retail prices of vegetables and fish have shot up in Khulna right after Eid celebrations, due to inadequate supply -- creating a burden for those belonging to the lower-income group.

Amid rising prices of food essentials and other basic necessities, the recent hike in prices of toiletries and other homecare products has added a new burden for people. 

There is a new problem in Bangladesh’s edible oil market but as always, the consumers end up being the sufferers.

Despite a bumper yield of potatoes, consumers are not being able to reap the benefits due to a five-year record hike in the retail prices of the vegetable.