WITH the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. the customary rise in prices of some selected items, both spices and vegetables has started being noticeable. Onion, pulses and cucumber have been the normal casualties almost every Ramadan. The general trend of prices being stable at an already higher plane, gram, flour, dry fruits, spices and various other types of flavouring items became dearer on the first day of Ramadan. Along with these, puffed rice, a very popular Iftar item with young and old. rich and poor, baffled everybody by registering a price rise of ten taka per kilogram — a phenomenon that can hardly be explained.

All this happened despite a steady supply of the commodities in the markets of the city which leads to the apprehension of unholy machinations by some unscrupulous businessmen and hoarders. Onion prices have been troubling the consumers since the floods of last year. Even a couple of weeks before the Ramadan, onion prices suddenly sky-rocketted for no earthly reason except for the greed to make a windfall before the large quantities of import arrivals. In a market free from supervision of any kind, people are taken hostage by the corrupt Importers, wholesalers and retailers. The government must in concert with the consumers' associations mount an effective supervision of the spiralling prices of some essential commodities throughout the year. The anti-hoarding laws must come into full play. The consumers' must organise themselves to combat the onslaught of dishonest business practitioners. Unless they do so at the community level they will continue to be shortchanged.