Bangladesh Rice Prices Rise as Higher Transport Costs Squeeze Household Budgets

A small increase adds up at the dinner table

Rice prices in six Dhaka markets rose by Tk 1 to Tk 1.50 per kilogram in the days before October 17, 2026, adding another expense for families already cutting shopping lists and small food businesses struggling to keep meals affordable. The broader increase over the preceding week was Tk 1 to Tk 2 per kilogram.

For Momotaz Begum, who supplies lunch and dinner to around 30 people in Tejkuni Para, an increase of just Tk 1 per kilogram adds Tk 360 to her monthly costs. For courier employee Zahidur Rahman's family of six, which consumes at least 65 kilograms a month, the same increase means another Tk 65 to find.

Traders point to more expensive transport after September's fuel price increase, higher paddy costs and the interval before fresh rice reaches markets in greater quantities. Government price records present a more mixed picture, making the variety, location and period of each price comparison especially relevant.

The Department of Agricultural Marketing's daily market price report lists fine Aman rice at Tk 72–75 per kilogram and medium Aman rice at Tk 56–60. It displays a change of 0.00 percent beside every rice category. The report extract carries no date or explanation of the comparison period, while the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh has separately promised to investigate differences between its figures and market observations.

How the increases unfolded

October's price movements followed a fuel adjustment in the third week of September, when diesel, petrol and octane rose by Tk 20 per litre. Traders subsequently described higher charges along several routes bringing rice into Dhaka.

The sequence shows pressure developing at several stages, from buying paddy to delivering processed rice:

• Third week of September: fuel prices increased by Tk 20 per litre.
• October 9: fine rice in Dhaka was selling for Tk 2–3 more per kilogram, while medium rice had risen by Tk 1–3.
• October 13: market observations placed fine rice at Tk 74–75 and medium rice at Tk 58–65 per kilogram, while TCB figures showed no weekly increase.
• October 17: observations across six Dhaka markets recorded increases of Tk 1–1.50 per kilogram.

What shoppers are paying for different rice

Miniket rice was selling for Tk 65–76 per kilogram on October 9, depending on the brand. Diamond, Manzur and Sagar branded Miniket cost Tk 74–75, compared with around Tk 72 a week earlier. Rashid branded Miniket cost Tk 65, while Mozammel branded rice reached Tk 76.

Medium rice varieties Paijam, BRRI-28 and BRRI-29 were listed at Tk 58–65 per kilogram in TCB figures cited on October 9, around Tk 3 higher over the week. Coarse rice remained largely unchanged at Tk 50–55 in the October 9 and October 13 market observations.

Kamal Hossain, proprietor of Makbul Rice Agency in Mirpur-11, said all varieties except Nazirshail had become more expensive in his market. Sellers in Karwan Bazar, New Market and Lalbagh had described Nazirshail increases of Tk 2–3 by October 9, with prices ranging from Tk 70 to Tk 95 depending on quality.

The government's daily price table separates rice by both harvest category and grain size. It lists fine Boro rice at Tk 66–70, medium Boro at Tk 55–57 and coarse Boro at Tk 47–49 per kilogram. For Aman rice, its coarse category stands at Tk 48–50. These categories give readers a more precise reference than a single price for all rice.

Why official figures and shop prices diverge

TCB's figures cited on October 13 showed no rice variety becoming more expensive over the preceding week, with fine rice falling by 1.27 percent. Over the preceding month, however, its medium rice measure rose by 2.50 percent.

Shatadal Mondal, TCB's assistant director for market data, said the figures appeared accurate on the information collected, but the organisation would examine the differences. He identified its Dhaka coverage as including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Malibagh, Rampura, Mohakhali, Hatirpool and West Agargaon.

Mondal explained the planned review:

Since our people and your journalists both visit the markets, there shouldn't be much room for a gap. Even so, we will look into it thoroughly to determine whether the data is accurate and whether such a discrepancy occurred,

A shopper needs a comparison for the same rice quality, market and period to follow a price change accurately. The gap between the official weekly figures and the observed shop increases remained unresolved in the October accounts, and TCB gave no date for completing its review.

Transport costs climb between mills and Dhaka

Mohammad Shaon, a wholesaler at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, put the cost of moving a truckload of rice from Kushtia to Dhaka at Tk 24,000, up from Tk 20,000. That is an increase of Tk 4,000, or 20 percent, on that route.

Other wholesale traders described increases of around Tk 3,000 per truck from Dinajpur and Tk 2,000 from Chapainawabganj after the diesel price rise. They said higher transport and other expenses had led them to raise rice prices by Tk 0.50–1 per kilogram.

Shaon said his wholesale fine rice price had increased by Tk 1 to Tk 66 per kilogram, while medium rice rose by Tk 1.50 to Tk 48.50. Shafiqul Islam, a wholesale shop manager at Karwan Bazar, also described higher prices at mills in Kushtia and elsewhere, with increases reaching Tk 50 per sack in some places.

Sohrab Hossain, manager of Janata Rice Agency at Karwan Bazar, offered a sharper assessment: traders had used higher transport costs as an opportunity to raise prices after a long period of stability. He also said there was no rice shortage in any district. His account places trader pricing decisions alongside the higher costs described by others in the supply chain.

Paddy costs and the wait for fresh supplies

Kushtia millers were paying more for paddy, the harvested grain before its husk is removed. Joynal Abedin Pradhan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association in Kushtia, said paddy prices had risen from Tk 1,120 to Tk 1,240 per maund over a month.

The Tk 120 increase amounts to about 10.7 percent. Joynal said rice prices at the mill gate had risen by Tk 1–2 per kilogram over the same period, with fine varieties selling for Tk 55–67. The mill gate price is what processors charge before wholesalers add transport and subsequent trading costs.

Joynal also said paddy becomes drier at this time of year, losing moisture and weight. Buyers therefore need to consider how much usable grain they receive for the money spent. In Naogaon, miller and trade association president Nirod Boron Saha described fine rice increases of Tk 30–50 per maund over five days, taking prices to Tk 2,050–2,080 per maund of 37.32 kilograms.

Wholesaler Mamunur Rashid said Aman harvesting had recently begun in several districts. Kamal Hossain nevertheless expected fresh rice to take at least another two months to reach markets. Harvesting in some places and a substantial arrival of processed rice in shops can occur at different times; Kamal's estimate puts that wider arrival around December.

A meal provider faces rising costs and debt

Momotaz Begum charges each customer Tk 150 for lunch and dinner. Most are day labourers who eat substantial amounts of rice, making the grain one of her business's recurring expenses.

She had already raised the price from Tk 120 about four and a half months earlier, an increase of 25 percent. Another rise could cost her customers, while keeping the charge unchanged leaves her absorbing more expensive food, LPG and electricity. She said her earnings had fallen and her debts had increased.

Momotaz described why even a modest rise was worrying:

An increase of Tk 1 or Tk 2 per kg may not seem significant, but we fear further hikes as we are already struggling to manage our daily expenses,

Her stated Tk 360 monthly cost increase from a Tk 1 rise implies purchases of about 360 kilograms a month. At that volume, a Tk 2 increase would add Tk 720 if her purchases stayed the same. The calculation helps explain how a small change on a shop's price board becomes a larger business expense.

Momotaz said continued increases could force her to leave the business. Her decision would also affect the workers who rely on her two daily meals and have limited room to pay more.

Families reduce quantities and travel for savings

Zahidur Rahman, 55, supports a household of six, including four children, on his income from a private courier service. The Hatirpool resident said his earnings no longer covered the family's expenses.

He described the choices he now makes while shopping:

The money I take to the kitchen market is no longer enough to buy everything we need. I have to drop some items from the shopping list or reduce the quantities to cope with the crisis,

Zahidur travels to Karwan Bazar despite having a market near home, seeking savings of at least Tk 100 on purchases worth around Tk 1,200. A Tk 1–2 increase on his family's minimum monthly rice consumption would add Tk 65–130, absorbing much or all of that saving.

Hasibul Hasan, another private sector employee shopping at Karwan Bazar, described buying BRRI-28 rice for Tk 60 per kilogram at the start of September, Tk 62 near the month's end and Tk 64 in early October. His purchases show an increase of Tk 4, or about 6.7 percent, from the first price to the last.

Rice joins an already expensive shopping basket

Dhaka households were also paying high prices for vegetables, eggs and fish in early October. Most vegetables cost Tk 70–120 per kilogram on October 9, with tomatoes at Tk 120–140 and early winter beans at Tk 150. Papaya was cheaper at Tk 30.

Farm eggs cost Tk 155–160 per dozen in different markets. Neighbourhood shops charging Tk 55 for four eggs were effectively charging Tk 165 per dozen, making purchase size another factor in the family budget. Broiler chicken was around Tk 180 per kilogram, while beef remained at Tk 800.

Fish offered few inexpensive alternatives. Tilapia cost Tk 250–260 per kilogram and pangas Tk 220–230. Stationery trader Moslim Uddin also pointed to recent increases in packaged and liquid milk prices as another burden on household spending.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics put average inflation over the 12 months ending in September at 8.65 percent. That measure describes average price growth across a year. For households such as Zahidur's, the immediate response is more concrete: buy smaller quantities, remove items or spend time travelling to a cheaper market.

The Essentials

• Rice rose by Tk 1–1.50 per kilogram across six Dhaka markets in observations preceding October 17.
• Traders cited higher transport charges, more expensive paddy and seasonal supply timing.
• Coarse rice remained at Tk 50–55 per kilogram in the October 9 and October 13 market observations.
• TCB promised to examine differences between its weekly figures and observed shop prices.
• A Tk 1 increase adds Tk 65 a month for Zahidur Rahman's family and Tk 360 for Momotaz Begum's meal business.
• Fresh rice could take at least two months to reach markets, according to trader Kamal Hossain.