Food prices rose sharply in October compared to previous months and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) blamed it on recent opposition strikes.According to the latest figures by BBS, October’s food inflation on a point-to-point basis was 8.38 percent, against 7.93 in September.
BBS director general Golam Mostafa Kamal told a Sunday news conference that the strikes were the main cause that explained the rise in food prices.
However, the overall inflation in October came down due to a price cut in goods and services in the non-food sector, he said.
The BBS monthly report showed that October’s overall inflation was 7.03 percent against 7.93 percent in September.
“As transport was disrupted during strikes the food prices went up due to rise in cost. Transport cost doubles during shutdowns,” Kamal said. “It takes Tk4,000 during strikes to bring the same goods from Savar to Dhaka against the normal rate of Tk 2,000.”
He said that businesses tend to close down during shutdowns due to insecurity.
The BBS chief said food prices may rise further if the political situation remained volatile.
