HIGH COST OF LIVING

Inflation can mean a daily struggle for the working poor in Bangladesh

Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.

As inflation greets Bangladeshis at breakfast time, even the humble paratha becomes a symbol of struggle. Once hearty and filling, the traditional flatbread now seems to arrive thinner and lighter — a daily reminder of the unending calculations between hunger and affordability for many people.

Previously, a simple meal of three parathas and an accompanying plate of dal would commonly cost 39 taka (32 cents). Today the modest breakfast can demand 50 taka, as spiraling prices threaten the most vulnerable consumers — day laborers, marginal farmers and transport workers.