Dhaka, March 1 -- As the holy month of Ramadan begins today (Sunday), most essentials that people consume heavily in the fasting month witnessed a fresh hike overnight on Saturday.

The prices of beef, chicken, potato, cucumber, brinjal, coriander leaf increased substantially on the day from the levels of the day before (Friday).

Brinjal prices jumped by Tk 20 a kg in a day and Tk 40 a kg in a week as the retail price shot up to Tk 80-100 a kg on Saturday.

Indigenous cucumber prices increased to Tk 100-120 from Tk 70-80 a kg. However, hybrid cucumbers remained static at Tk 60-70 a kg.

Potato prices witnessed a Tk 5.0 hike as common varieties like cardinal and diamante were sold at Tk 30-35 a kg.

Julfiqar Ali, a vegetable vendor, said ...