The prices of garlic, beans, cucumbers and aubergine were lower yesterday than on Friday, but the prices of tomatoes, onions, green chillies, dried chillies, potatoes, soybean oil, turmeric and vegetables remained the same as the day before Ramadan.

Buyers in the city's kitchen markets expressed dissatisfaction at the government's failure to control the prices of essentials five days into Ramadan.

"I have never seen this kind of price spiral in my life. The prices of essentials are far beyond the purchasing capacity of the middle class like us," said Bulbul, a shopper in the Mohammadpur kitchen market.

"I wonder why the government does nothing to control prices even after the problem has been repeatedly reported in the newspapers."

In Karwan Bazar yesterday, beans were selling at Tk 60 a kilo, down from Tk 65 a kilo, local garlic at Tk 32, down from Tk. 35 a kilo, Indian garlic at Tk 26 a kilo, down from 28, cucumbers at Tk 25 a kilo, down from Tk 28 and aubergine at Tk 20 a kilo, down from 25.

But in the same market locally grown onions sold at Tk 28 a kilo, Indian onions at Tk 22, ginger at Tk 26, local dried chillies at Tk 85, Indian dried chillies at Tk 82, potatoes at Tk 13, turmeric at Tk 75, tomatoes at Tk 38 and borbati at Tk 20 a kilo.

The prices of all these items are the same as the day before Ramadan.

"Today I am selling cucumbers at Tk 25 a kilo, which is three taka less than on Friday, and I hope the price will come down this week," said Sohrab Mia, a trader in Karwan Bazar.

"I am selling aubergine at Tk 20 a kilo, down from Tk 25 on Friday," said another trader, Khaleque, in the same market.

But prices were higher in the city's Mohammedpur and Hatirpul kitchen markets yesterday. Beans were selling at Tk 67-70 a kilo, down from Tk 75, cucumbers at Tk 28-30, down from Tk 32, tomatoes at Tk 40-42, locally grown onions at Tk 28-30, Indian onions at Tk 22-26, aubergine at Tk 25-28, down from Tk 30 and local garlic at Tk 40, down from 45.

Official BSS news agency said Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury yesterday visited several kitchen markets in the city.

The commerce minister was reportedly informed that locally-grown onions were selling at Tk 20-22 a kilo as opposed to the actual price of Tk 28 a kilo, potatoes at Tk 12 a kilo against the actual price of Tk 13 a kilo, and soybean oil at Tk 46-48 a litre as opposed to the real price of Tk 48-54 a litre.