Inflation in Bangladesh rises slightly to 9.81% in March
The food inflation rate in March stood at 9.87%, and non-food inflation was 9.64%. In February, these were 9.44% and 9.33% respectively
The point-to-point inflation in Bangladesh rose slightly to 9.81% in March compared to 9.67% in February, owing to the rising prices of food and non-food items during Ramadan.
The food inflation rate in March stood at 9.87%, while non-food inflation was 9.64%, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data published today (9 April).
In February, the food inflation rate was 9.44%, and non-food inflation was 9.33%.
In January, the food inflation rate was 9.56%, and non-food inflation was 9.42%.
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"Whenever the month of Ramadan arrives, we see an increase in the prices of some food items here. Additionally, due to Eid, the prices of non-food items have also risen," said Dr Mustafa Kamal, executive director of the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM).
"Recently, the government has also raised electricity prices. Meanwhile, there has been no change in the dollar crisis. All these factors have contributed to an increase in inflation in March, although inflation had slightly decreased in February compared to January," he added.
Dr Kamal said, "We are not seeing a trend of consistent decrease in inflation; it has remained high for a long time.
"The policies that the government had implemented to control inflation are still in place, but high inflation persists. Furthermore, the government had set prices for 29 products, but this has not been effective," he added.
"As a result, effective measures to control inflation are not being implemented," said Dr Kamal.
The overall inflation has been above 9% since March 2023.
Food inflation had soared to 12.54% in August last year and dropped to 10.76% in November.
