Intentionally, Nasir Uddin has been returning home almost every night after his two daughters go to sleep because he can't afford the things the girls ask for.

Nasir, who runs a small mobile phone accessories shop, was buying dry fish and bottle gourd yesterday at Shukrabad Kitchen Market in the capital.

Due to the ever-rising prices of daily essentials and the declining sales at his shop, thanks to Covid-19, it has become almost impossible for him to bear some expenses.

"I bought no meat in the last six months, even though my daughters love meat," he said.

The prices of essentials and the new cases of Covid-19 have been rising at the same time, he said.

"I stopped the tuitions of my ninth grader. I can't think of what will happen in the days ahead."

Majnu Mia, who has a pottery store in Shukrabad, said, "I am no longer able to bear the expenses of keeping my wife and my two children in this city ... The daily sale has fallen to just around Tk 200.

"I was forced to send my wife and children back to the village in Gafargaon of Mymensingh."

Asked how he has been doing, Jibon Mia, a rickshaw puller, broke down in tears. "I have nothing to say. Ramadan is here. Commodity prices are rising and coronavirus is spreading again. How will I survive with my family if there is another lockdown?" he asked.

Requesting not to be named, an employee of a firm, said his monthly salary was slashed by 20 percent due to the pandemic. He added that the rising prices are a second blow to him.

Making matters worse for people like them, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) yesterday hiked the prices of onions, edible oil and sugar in its open market sales programme.

TCB's prices of soybean oil rose to Tk 100 from Tk 90 a litre, onion to Tk 20 from Tk 15 a kg, and sugar to Tk 55 from 50.

At kitchen markets in Shukrabad, Town Hall, and Mohammadpur Krishi Market, this correspondent found the prices of rice, oil, lentil, sugar, garlic, potato and chicken rose between Tk 5 and Tk 40 in a month.

Yesterday, miniket rice (local) was sold for Tk 65 a kg, up from Tk 60, sugar for Tk 70, up from 65, onion for Tk 35, up from Tk 25, and garlic for Tk 115, up from 110 a month ago.

Broiler chicken was being sold for Tk 150 to Tk 160 a kg and the variety called Sonali for Tk 280 to Tk 300. A month ago, the prices ranged between Tk 130 and Tk 140, and Tk 200 and Tk 220 respectively.

Meat traders at some markets hiked the prices of beef by Tk 20-30 a kg.

The prices of potatoes rose by Tk 5 a kg and soybean oil by Tk 7 a litre in one month.