Edible oil price in the country’s market is climbing up gradually adding woes to the consumers.
Meanwhile, price of one liter soybean oil has been officially fixed at Tk 139 on Monday. Although there is no crisis of this kitchen item in the market, edible oil was being sold at Tk 130 to Tk 135 per liter on Tuesday.
To get a little relief, number of consumers are now increasing in front of Trading Corporation Bangladesh (TCB) trucks to buy edible oil at a lower price.
Although there is no crisis in the market, the price of soybean oil is increasing day by day. In this situation, the buyers have expressed their anger at the extra price fixed by the government.
A consumer named Hassan at Karwan Bazar told this correspondent that, “Soybean oil is going beyond the purchasing capacity of the general people, especially the poor people due to rising prices. As edible oil demand goes high in the month of Ramadan, the government should keep this price somewhat lower to give a relief to the consumers”.
TCB’s trucks are selling soybean oil and other daily necessities at a slightly lower price to control the market. However, the as usual excuse of the traders is price hike in the world market. They also proposed to the government to reduce import duty to keep the edible oil market stable.
Dealers informed that oil demand is the highest. There is no oil crisis in the country. However, the mill owners said that the price of oil is increasing in the international market, so it is also affecting the country's market. And the dealers also complained that the oil market was being controlled by syndicates.
Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has demanded further reduction in oil prices to provide relief to the people during the month of Ramadan.
In this regard, CAB general secretary Humayun Kabir said that, “As the demand for oil will increase in the month of Ramadan, there is possibilities that price will increase again. We have appealed to the Commerce Ministry to reduce the price of oil”.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry in a meeting on Monday fixed the price of one litre soybean oil at Tk 139 and loose edible oil at Tk 116. Accordingly, a 5-litre bottle of soybean oil costs Tk 660.
