Poultry, fish and vegetables became pricier again last week, battering the consumers further in the month of Ramadan.
The prices of essentials like onion, sugar and garlic, however, showed a downward trend during the period.
Indigenous and Pakistani chicken have increased in prices in the past seven days.
Local poultry sold at Tk 430-Tk 460 per kilogram and Pakistani variety at Tk 280-Tk 320 on Thursday-Tk 30-Tk 40 hike in a week.
The prices of layer chicken also increased to Tk 185-Tk 190 from Tk 165-Tk 170 a kg.
Beef and mutton prices were static, maintaining their previous high rates.
Traders were selling beef at Tk 480-Tk 530 a kg against Tk 450, the official rate fixed by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
They were selling mutton at Tk 750-Tk 800 a kg against the fixed rate of Tk 720.
Bangladesh Meat Merchants Association Secretary General Rabiul Islam said the traders with a city corporation licence were charging the fixed prices.
But hundreds of others without licence sell meat at higher rates.
Mr Islam also said licence-holders buy a cow in the cattle market by paying Tk 150 as tax, whereas non-licensees have to pay 5.0 per cent of the cattle price.
He said the leaseholders of Gabtoli cattle market are charging much higher hassil (taxes) against the fixed rates in many cases, causing a hike in meat prices.
Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan blamed the state agencies concerned for the soaring food prices.
The government agencies concerned have shown their inability to tackle the worrying trend of market manipulation, he alleged.
Mr Bhuiyan said crooked traders take advantage of the high demand for certain food items during the fasting month by blaming other factors for the price rise.
Meanwhile, the prices of both cultured and indigenous fish increased significantly in a week.
Traders attributed this hike to a low catch of fish and rising prices of meat varieties.
Riverine rui and katla sold at Tk 400-Tk--- 550 a kg, hilsa at Tk 600-Tk 1,350, pabda at Tk 550-Tk 900, shoal at Tk 400-Tk 600, tengra at Tk 500-Tk 650 on Thursday.
Mortuza Hossain Montu, Bangladesh Fish Wholesalers Association, told the FE that fish haul dropped in recent weeks amid rising water in some major rivers.
The demand for fish also soared due to a significant hike both in broiler and layer bird prices during Ramadan, he added.
He said fish will go down in prices from the last week of June with the rising supply of hilsa.
The prices of onion and garlic showed a Tk 4-10 fall in a week.
Onion sold at Tk 40-Tk 45 (local) and Tk 32-Tk 40 (imported) a kg.
Imported garlic was sold at Tk 90-Tk 120 a kg.
But many vegetables showed a further hike in prices by Tk 5-10 a kg last week.
