The hefty price of eggplants is draining the wallets of Dhaka citizens that enjoy the traditional iftar item, beguni.

Traders are taking advantage of the lockdown to put a large mark-up on the Ramadan necessity, although many vegetables are in steady and sufficient supply.

At the kitchen markets in Shukrabad, Razabazar and Karwan Bazar, eggplant was being sold at Tk 100 per kg. The price of cucumber had also risen to Tk 100 per kg, but yesterday price fell to Tk 60 per kg after supplies increased.

Meanwhile, the prices of lemon and green chilli have also been hiked. A hali (four pieces) of lemon costs Tk 60-80, while a kilogramme of green chilli is being sold at Tk 80-100.

An elderly seller at Karwan Bazar said, "What else can I do? These items are in great demand during Ramadan. I could only buy half of what I needed because the wholesale price was high."

"I'm cutting corners on transport fare. Price of goods is very high. I always come to the Karwan Bazar on foot these days from West Razabazar. But even here the prices aren't that good, they're the same as what my neighbourhood sellers charge," said Shafiqul Islam, a private service holder.

Multiple retailers said they were selling eggplants at Tk 40 per kg and cucumbers at Tk 40-50 per kg just a day before Ramadan. They claimed that wholesale prices have increased so they have to charge high prices from customers.

Asked if there is any shortage in supply, they said there is no shortage, but the prices have been increased simply based on the high demand.

Meanwhile, the price of rice has increased by Tk 2-3 in the wholesale markets and Tk 3-5 in retail markets.

Yesterday, miniket and najirshail rice was selling between Tk 60-65 at wholesale markets while it was Tk 65-70 per kg in retail markets.

According to the data of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), consumers had to spend more in March to purchase goods and services owing to an increase in food and non-food prices. Due to the price hike of food items, inflation rose by 15 basis points to 5.47 percent in March, the BBS report said.

This was the third month in a row that the Consumer Price Index, a measure of the general increase in prices of a basket of commodities, has been rising.  In January, inflation was 5.02 percent.