The New Nation - Internet Edition

A.T.M.Nurun Nabi

The real wage of the people belonging to the lower-income group has fallen by 41 percent in terms of rice-price though the money wage remains unaffected. A year ago, the coarse rice used to sell at taka 17 per kilo, which is now taka 24 in Dhaka, Comilla and Pabna towns. The real wage is determined by the earner's ability to purchase food items from markets. However, as the real wage decreases, the cost of living in terms of the rice-price has conversely increased by the identical percentage much the government claims that the purchasing power of people has amplified. Not only the rice-price has increased, that of coarse flour and edible oil has increased from taka 19 to 37 and taka 48 to 90, thereby, added extra miseries to the fixed earners.

At Comilla town, the miniket variety sells at taka 30 to 32, in the capital city taka 32 to 34 and at Pabna town taka 27 to 28 only per kilo. In Dhaka, the nazirsail variety still sells at taka 32 to 35, showing a slight improvement upon the price of the last week in view of the arrival of the newly harvested aman rice, said a retailer to this correspondent.

Prices of some of other food items follow as under:

Potato taka 26, brinjal taka 24, bean taka 24 to 30, chili taka 60, coarse flour taka 37 and lentil taka 76 only. An government employee from Comilla town informed over phone on Monday night that the fish-price is still high despite abundance of supply. The river shad (Hilsha) has again become dear after two months' rest. The hilsha, which was taka 200 per kilo a week ago, now selling at taka 350. As regards the reason of sudden abnormal rise, an economists said, the fishermen of the coastal areas who lost everything including the fishing equipments in the 11/15 hurricane are not going to sea. As a result, production has decreased. The situation will not improve if they are not disbursed interest-free loan or on easy terms. Not only the fishermen need loan for survival, the marginal farmers and the sharecroppers and the small entrepreneurs of the hurricane battered districts too are badly in need of loan on easy terms.

In the capital city, the price of some of the food items is as under: Newly harvested potato taka 35 (old ones vanished from markets), brinjal taka 26, bean taka 20-24, tomato taka 40, chili taka 50, palk taka 16, balsam taka 28, radish taka 12, onion taka 25 (imported) and 55 (local) and sugar taka 32.

As to the fish-price, climbing fish taka 200, scorpion (lancer) taka 350 to 400, carp fish taka 120, salmon taka 130, shrimp taka 200, lobster taka 350, carpet fish taka 120, fry fish taka 120, telapia taka 80, medium size ruhit taka 80 to 100, trout fish taka 100, lata fish taka 180 and walking fish taka 250 only.