Rising trends of inflation has forced rural people to spend more to buy goods than urban dwellers, said a report of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The BBS report said the average inflation in rural areas rose to 6.20 percent in November. At the same time, the average inflation in the city stood at 5.59 percent.
Economists say the rise in diesel and kerosene prices has had an impact on the market. In early November, the government increased the price of diesel and kerosene by Tk15 per litre. As a result, fares of all transports have gone up. This has had an impact on overall inflation.
Zahid Hossain, former chief economist at the World Bank's Dhaka office, said the rise in transportation costs has affected the commodity market.
As diesel and kerosene prices have risen, so have transportation costs. Fare is being taken higher than what has been increased.
The demand in the market is increasing due to these factors, along with rise in inflation.
The state-owned agency revealed that prices of almost all types of daily commodities including rice, pulses, flour are higher in villages than in cities. The people of the village have to spend more money for transportation, medical treatment and furniture
In November, a rural consumer bought a product for Tk106.20, while a customer in the city bought the same product for Tk105. 59. In urban areas, food inflation is 4.37 percent, while in rural areas it is 5.90 percent.
However, non-food inflation is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. In November, non-food inflation rose to 6.99 percent in urban areas and 6.78 percent in rural areas.
According to the BBS, overall inflation in the country rose to 5.98 percent in November from 5.70 percent in the previous month (October). Besides, food inflation rose to 5.9 percent from 5.62 percent in October. Non-food inflation rose to 6.17 percent from 6.78 percent.