Essential goods in Bangladesh can become Tk40 to Tk50 more expensive per kilogram between international sourcing and retail sale, according to market information cited in the report. Products move from importers through large and small wholesalers and local trading before reaching shops, with added prices at each stage. For Indian lentils, the stated international-market price is Tk123 per kilogram, while the product sells for Tk155 in Chattogram’s Khatunganj wholesale market and Tk160 to Tk170 at retail.

Importers and traders cite shipping, port, customs, insurance, transport, storage, processing, fuel, labour, tolls and shop expenses as contributors to higher prices. One importer said moving goods from the port to wholesalers costs about Tk4 per kilogram. Wholesalers also cited processing imported raw pulses in domestic mills, while retailers pointed to transport, rent, wages and weight loss from moisture.

Consumer-rights representatives describe the gap between international and consumer prices as abnormal, saying products change hands two or three times in Khatunganj and profits are added repeatedly. The National Directorate of Consumer Rights Protection said it would conduct drives based on specific information. Market experts called for stronger supply-chain monitoring and market oversight.