The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Eid Shoppers are crowding the big shops and streets of Barisal city to purchase clothings, apparels, fashionable goods, shoes and other footwears and even ornaments for their dear ones. After cessation of rains a fine weather is prevailing in Barisal encouraging the people from outside the city and even from other districts to come to Barisal city for marketing on the eve of Eid and Puja festival. But the festive mood of the intending buyers is somewhat paled by the high and exorbitant price of goods. A jeans pant of moderate quality is sold at taka 1000 or more while a three piece apparel of some what quality for a young girl is selling at Taka 1200/-or more. Price of a somewhat good quality shirt is more than taka thousand while a metre of pantpieceof mediocre quality is Taka 600 or more. Price of saree, however seams to have passed all others. Georgete saree favourite for the ladies surused to sell at taka 1000 or arounds last year but this year it is being sold at Taka 2000 in the minimum. Ordinary cotton web sarees are sold at taka 500 or more.

Shoes or footwears are another burden on parents and guardians. Shoes of moderate quality sell at Taka 1500 or more while an ordinary pair of sandals sells at Taka 400 or more.

Price for household materials like wooden cots, chairs, furnitures has also increased considerably and also that of crockeries and utensils.

Festival mood may prove expensive for other reasons also. Price of rice used for preparation of polao was about taka 80 to 85 per kg two months ago but this year selling at taka 110 to 115 per kg. Broiler chicken sells at taka 120 per kg. There has been however a slight reduction of price of soyabean oil.

There is another worrying factor for people. All the price, which has gone high up, ever come down after festival.