Soyabean oil ‘disappears’ from shelves in Chattogram before Ramadan

"A crisis of cooking oil has developed. The government should look into it to find whether it’s a false crisis or if there is any other reason behind it,” says a customer

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Although kitchen markets in Chattogram have been fairly stable, a noticeable shortage of soyabean oil has fuelled concerns ahead of the fast-approaching month of Ramadan.

The common cooking oil is scarcely available in kitchen markets and grocery shops across the port city.

Traders said the soyabean oil crisis has been ongoing for about a month and has only intensified in recent days. Companies have also stopped supplying soyabean oil.

On Friday, soyabean oil was conspicuous in its absence at several shops at Reazuddin Bazar, one of the largest marketplaces in Chattogram.

Kamal Hossain, owner of Tamim General Store in Reazuddin Bazar, said soyabean oil supplies had completely dried up over the last month.

Holding up a receipt, he said, “We charged customers for soyabean oil along with other grocery items, but now we can’t provide the oil. We’ve been trying to contact the company’s representatives for the past two days, but they haven't responded.”

Another trader explained the suppliers were not even providing enough soyabean oil to meet half the demand. “Hence, we can’t sell it to everyone. Whatever little we have, we’re selling it to our regular customers.”

The soyabean oil shortage was also seen in Kazir Dewri Bazar. Abdus Sattar, owner of Khan Department Store, said that the persisting shortage has forced them to turn away customers.

Sohel Chowdhury, a customer who could not buy soyabean oil at Reazuddin Bazar in the morning, expressed his frustration. He said, "Every year, the prices of essentials rise during Ramadan. This year, the prices remained stable, but there’s a shortage of soyabean oil."

"There’s always some kind of shortage before Ramadan, especially with cooking oil. The government should look into this to determine whether it's a manufactured crisis or if there’s another reason behind it."

A trader from Nalapara also mentioned that they had not received packaged cooking oil for over a month. "Yesterday, one company supplied some oil after 10 days, but it wasn’t enough to meet our needs," he said. "They supplied 5-litre and 3-litre bottles, but no 1-litre bottles."

Meanwhile, the prices of Chhola (black peas) remained stable before Ramadan. On Friday, black peas were sold for Tk 105 to Tk 120 per kg at Reazuddin Bazar, and the prices of other vegetables stayed stable.

Cucumbers, which are in high demand during Ramadan, were priced at Tk 35-40 per kg. Brinjal was sold for Tk 30-50 per kg, tomatoes for Tk 20, carrots for Tk 25, coriander leaves for Tk 40, and mint leaves for Tk 100 per kg. Green chilli prices rose from Tk 40 per kg on Thursday to Tk 50 on Friday. Potatoes were sold at Tk 25 per kg, cauliflower at Tk 30, and cabbage at Tk 15 per kg.

However, in markets outside Reazuddin Bazar, the prices of vegetables, excluding potatoes and tomatoes, saw a rise of Tk 3-5. Broiler chicken was priced at Tk 190 per kg, boneless beef at Tk 950 per kg, and bone-in beef at Tk 750 per kg.

While most vegetable prices remained stable, customers complained that the price of lemons had doubled. A set of four lemons, which cost Tk 20 a week ago, now sells for Tk 40. At Reazuddin Bazar on Friday, lemons were priced between Tk 100 to Tk 150 per dozen, with some other markets charging even higher prices.