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Prices of fish and local chicken have increased further this week, adding to woes of the consumers.
Meanwhile, sugar price witnessed a decline, but prices of some vegetables showed an uptrend over the period.
Prices of most varieties of fish, especially shrimp, tengra, shol, pabda, riverine rui and katla, registered a hike of Tk 60 to Tk 100 a kg.
Shrimp and pabda was trading at Tk 450-Tk 950 a kg and shol at Tk 450-Tk 600 a kg depending on their size on Thursday.
Riverine rui was selling at Tk 450-Tk 560 a kg and katla at Tk 350-Tk 600 a kg in different city markets.
Prices of cultured rui, katla, kalbaus, grass carp, bighead carp, pangas and koi also went up by Tk 10-Tk 40 a kg in the last seven days, according to kitchen market sources.
Kader Ali, a fish vendor at Jhigatola old kitchen market in the city, said prices of fishes have surged at the Mawa, Showarighat, Karwan Bazar and Jatrabari wholesale markets in the last five days.
Nurul Islam, a Sowarighat-based trader, said the prices of riverine fish have increased following the imposition of a ban on hisa fishing as part of hilsa-conservation programme of the government.
It is the peak breeding season for mother hilsa, he said.
The government imposed the ban, effective from October 7 to 28, on catching, selling and transporting hilsa across the 7,000-km sanctuary to ensure safe spawning of the fish during its peak breeding period.
The ban is applicable for all kinds of fish in the rivers of 37 districts during the time.
Bangladesh Fish Traders Association president Golam Mortaza Montu told the FE that prices of farmed fish also increased amid rising demand.
He said the prices might come down once the ban is lifted.
Meanwhile, prices of local bean, radish, eggplants, ridge gourd, bitter gourd have also increased by Tk 5.0-Tk 20 a kg.
Traders attributed the price hike to inclement weather across the country, resulting from depression in the Bay, that led to decline in supply of vegetables.
Early winter vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage were trading at much higher rate -- Tk 50 to Tk 60 per piece.
Prices of sugar, however, declined to Tk 56-Tk 58 a kg at retail market from Tk 60-Tk 64 a kg.
Indigenous chicken saw a price hike of Tk 30, now selling at Tk 450-Tk 490 a kg.
However, prices of broiler chicken remained stable. It was selling at Tk 130-Tk 140 a kg on Thursday.
Egg prices remained at the same level, maintaining its previous high -- Tk 38 per four pieces.