Edible-oil supply increased to some extent, but its scarcity still prevailed in the city groceries on Tuesday - the sixth day since the government hiked soybean oil price by a record margin to Tk 198 a liter.
Most of the groceries, especially those in the lanes, were still running out of bottled soybean oil. The vendors in the kitchen market areas also lacked required loose palm and soybean oils on the day, the FE found while visiting different areas in the city.
Meanwhile, the refiners have moved to take necessary actions against the dealers, who will be found guilty of illegal hoarding of the item in recent times.
A letter, issued by Bangladesh Edible Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association Secretary Md Nurul Islam Mollah on Tuesday, said the refiners have decided to take necessary actions against the dealers/distributors, who will be found guilty of hoarding edible oil in recent times.
The government on May 5 raised the price of bottled soybean oil by Tk 38 a litre to Tk 198, loose soybean oil by Tk 39 a litre to Tk 180, and loose palm oil by Tk 40 a litre to Tk 172 in line with its global price hike.
It was done to bring stability in the market, which had become almost out of control from the last week of April - just before the Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
Soybean oil price was increased to Tk 200-220 a litre, and palm oil to Tk 190-200 a litre just before the Eid, while most of the groceries started running out of edible oil, according to reports.
Kamal Ahmed Sobuj, a grocer at Dhanmondi-15, said he got only 30 bottles of one-litre and ten jars of five-litre soybean oil from a dealer on Monday night, all of which were sold out within 11:00 am on Tuesday.
Small shops in lanes were still out of soybean oil, as dealers were yet to start supplying oil as per their requirements, he added.
Groceries in the big commodity market areas got a few two-litre and one-litre soybean oil bottles with new price tag on the day, but those were sold out within hours.
Tuesday was a holiday at Karwan Bazar grocery market, but three to four shops were opened there, which had no soybean oil.
Juel Rana, a grocer at West Dhanmondi, said he did not get oil although orders were delivered before the Eid.
Visiting the area on the day the FE found one of the shops had super palm oil, which was retailing at Tk 178-183 a litre (Tk 195-200 a kg) against the government's newly fixed rate of Tk 172 a litre.
Md Shaheen Mia, sales representative of a distributor of Pusti branded edible oil, said most of the groceries would get required oil in one or two days.
