Prices of flour, fish, and vegetables increased last week raising woes of the consumers further.
Both loose and packaged flour became pricier in the city markets which traders attributed to the global uptrend of wheat prices.
Market experts urged the government to ensure strict monitoring to keep the staple within the reach of the commoners.
Loose coarse flour (atta) was sold at Tk 28-Tk 32 a kg while branded packet atta was traded at Tk 34-Tk 36 a kg on Thursday-up by Tk 2.0 in a week.
Loose finer flour (mayda) was sold at Tk 35-Tk 37 a kg while packet mayda at Tk 44-Tk 48 of different brands-up by Tk 2-Tk 4.
Md Juel Rana, a vendor at Sankar, West Dhanmondi, told the FE that prices of loose flour, both atta and mayda, increased by Tk 80-Tk 120 per maund at wholesale markets like Moulovibazar and Karwanbazar in the city in last ten days.
He said companies like Fresh, Bashundhara and Ifad started supplying newer packets at increased prices.
"We are still selling mayda of older packs at Tk 44 per kg," he said.
"Newer packets will be Tk 46-Tk 48 a kg", he added.
Md Imrul Hassan, senior executive director at Bashundhara Group, who markets packaged flour, said the global wheat price increased to $240 a tonne in August from $180 a tonne six months back.
He said local traders did not raise prices of flour even in last four years.
Now they were reviewing the price, he said.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan, said import cost of quality wheat was still below Tk 22 a kg.
And production cost of refined flour (mayda) is a maximum of Tk 30 a kg and it is being sold at Tk 44-Tk 46 a kg by companies, he said.
He said the government should monitor the market taking into consideration import, milling, packaging and marketing costs of flour.
Annual demand for wheat is above 7.0 million tonnes in the country, of which it imports 6.0 million tonnes, according to the Directorate General of Food (DGoF).
Prices of fish and few vegetables also increased last week.
Fish including shrimp, shoul, tengra, golsha, riverine rui and katla increased by Tk 60-Tk 100 a kg which traders attributed to a low catch.
Shoul sold at Tk 350-Tk 500 based on the size while indigenous rui at Tk 450-Tk 650 a kg.
Hilsa prices, however, remained static at Tk 550-Tk 1450 per kg based on the size.
Prices of eddo, bitter gourd, sponge gourd and long bean increased by Tk 5.0-Tk 10 a kg to range between Tk 45 and Tk 80 a kg.
