Edible oil marketing companies have for some time been cutting the supply of soybean oil to retail markets, citing rising prices on the world market. Even after the Ministry of Commerce approved a Tk 5 a litre rise in the price of bottled oil this week, the shortage has not eased, and retail shops in several parts of Dhaka are still short of soybean oil.

Some grocers were seen selling oil bought at the old price for more than the set rate. Sugar was also in short supply at some shops, and its price has risen by about Tk 10 to 15 a kg over the past two weeks.

This was the picture in various retail markets in the capital on the morning of Friday, 4 September. The price of bottled soybean oil has been raised by Tk 5, from Tk 199 to Tk 204 a litre, while the prices of loose soybean oil and palm oil were left unchanged.

In markets including Rampura, Badda, Segunbagicha and Shantinagar, most shops had no one-litre bottles of soybean oil, although two- and five-litre bottles were available at most of them.

Enamul Haque, a retailer at Shantinagar market, said supply had not increased even after the new price was announced on Wednesday. The companies are not taking normal orders until the stock at the new price arrives, he said.

Shopkeepers said suppliers had not been delivering oil for about two weeks. What little oil arrives after several rounds of orders comes with a sharply reduced commission for the retailer.

The same was seen at grocery shops in Segunbagicha kitchen market. Only two of the five leading shops had a small number of one-litre bottles. Sellers said there was no supply and that oil at the new price had not yet arrived.

Md Taher, a grocer in the Segunbagicha residential area, said oil could not be had even when ordered, and the retailer's commission on a Tk 200 bottle had been cut to Tk 1.50.

While the oil market is unsettled, eggs and chicken remain expensive. A dozen broiler eggs sells for Tk 150, the same as last week. Broiler chicken sells for Tk 185 to 195 a kg depending on the area, also unchanged from the previous week, and Sonali chicken is still Tk 320 to 340 a kg.

Some vegetables have become cheaper. Long aubergines are still not available below Tk 100, but ridge gourd has fallen to Tk 70 to 80 a kg, snake gourd to Tk 50 to 60, papaya to Tk 30, local bottle gourd from Tk 80-90 to Tk 50 to 70, taro (kochur mukhi) to Tk 60 to 70, bitter gourd to Tk 60 to 80 depending on quality, and small pointed gourd and okra to Tk 40 to 50 a kg.

Green chillies have fallen sharply to Tk 80 to 120 a kg, and cucumbers to Tk 40 to 50. Yardlong beans, tomatoes, carrots and spiny gourd, however, remain quite expensive.

Onion prices have eased slightly: onions that sold for Tk 60 to 65 a kg are now selling for Tk 55 to 60.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.