"This happens just two weeks before the fast every year and there is no exception this year as well," said Anita Islam, a homemaker shopping for iftar items at the Karwan Bazar kitchen market.

Prices of items like chhola, dubly and lentils along with both coarse and finer varieties of rice and vegetables also shot up in different kitchen and wholesale markets in the city.

"The spirit of Ramadan is to teach us self-control and understand hunger, but traders are bent on acting to their instincts of greed," an outraged Anita said.

Some traders and common people in different city markets said a section of traders is now busy making windfalls targeting the fast during the holy month.

"They wait for the opportunity to cash in on the holy month of self-restraint," said Akhter Hossain, another shopping for essentials.

Sources said though some essential commodities -- sugar, soybean oil and onion -- widely used during this month in particular, are abundant in the market but their prices have increased abnormally.

Traders and sellers blamed the price increase on a short supply but sources at the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) said there was no dearth of provisions.

Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury acknowledged the hike in the price of rice blaming it on natural calamities. He claimed that three consecutive sunny days would bring the prices back to a normal.

Shoppers at various kitchen markets in the last two days buying vegetables for sehri and iftar found prices unusually high. Aubergine used to prepare beguni, a delicacy for iftar was selling at Tk 70-80 a kilogram while cucumber and carrots rose between Tk 45-50.

"Even a kg of green chilli sells at Tk 120-150. How could the poor survive," said Shamsul Islam, a frustrated consumer at Hatirpool kitchen market.

Karwan Bazar traders said as prices of vegetables shot up because of the huge demand and short supply and price hike this has increased the demand for meat.

Although the authorities fixed the price of meat at Tk 100 a kg of beef and mutton at Tk 140 before Ramadan, consumers allege they are forced to buy meat at higher prices.

Sellers fear prices will increase further in coming weeks, and expect authority intervention in stabilising prices.

Consumers said importers and wholesalers who manipulate the market with malpractice must be severely punished.

The commerce ministry formed a taskforce ahead of Ramadan including representatives from different ministries to address the price hike, which failed to control the situation.

The government also deployed 28 mobile courts in the city for this month to check market prices. Home ministry officials said the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) are on special assignments to identify hoarders and control price hike.

According to the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), the government failed to bridle the price hike. Kazi Farouq, president of the association, said: "The trend might continue through the month increasing difficulties of consumers."