Suddenly, soybean oil has become scarce in the market.
From local grocery shops to wholesale markets, the situation is the same everywhere: no soybean oil. This shortage has left both buyers and sellers in a difficult position.
On Friday, visits to the Mirpur 1 raw market and grocery shops in the Mirpur 2 neighborhood revealed the extent of the crisis.
Empty shelves
At the Mirpur 1 raw market, grocery shops were struggling to cope with the soybean oil shortage.
Shelves that typically display cooking oil were empty. While a few bottles of soybean oil could be found in some stores, sunflower oil and rice bran oil were more readily available.
Many customers left empty-handed after failing to find soybean oil.
Some switched to alternatives like rice bran oil.
One such customer, Maruf Ibne Mannan, a private-sector employee, shared his frustration: "I’ve been struggling to find soybean oil for several days now. It’s unavailable in both local shops and markets. Where are we supposed to buy it? Shopkeepers are saying there’s no supply. From past experience, I suspect companies have halted supply to raise prices. Since I couldn’t find soybean oil, I’m buying rice bran oil instead.”
Forced to buy additional items
In the few stores where soybean oil is available, customers are often required to purchase other products alongside it, causing frustration among consumers.
Rafiqul Islam, a customer, was searching for a single litre of soybean oil.
Frustrated by the situation, he said: “I’ve been searching for just one litre of soybean oil, but none of the shops have it. The ones that do won’t sell it unless I buy other items. I don’t need anything else, so why should I buy unnecessary products? I’m not rich enough to spend money recklessly. Every penny counts for me.”
Some shops had limited stock of soybean oil but were selling it only under the condition that customers purchase other items.
Md Noyon Maji, the owner of "New Sonia General Store," defended this practice.
He said: “Even if I pay, I don’t get enough stock from the company. If I sell, it benefits me. But now there’s a shortage, and people come only for oil. I tell them to buy other items along with the oil, but they only want the oil.”
Noyon further explained: “The distributor forced me to buy mustard oil along with soybean oil. To purchase 36 litres of soybean oil, I had to buy 40 litres of mustard oil. I already have mustard oil in stock, but they wouldn’t sell me soybean oil without it. That’s why I ask customers to buy additional items to make up for my losses. I hope this situation improves in a few days.”
Alternative sales practices
Md Selim of "Selim General Store" described the challenges sellers face: “I’ve sold out all my soybean oil. Whatever I had is gone. Companies make us buy pilaf rice along with soybean oil. Every company is doing this. I bought two cartons of oil for Tk6,424, but I also had to buy Tk6,000 worth of rice. That’s how things are now. However, I don’t force customers to buy additional items. They can buy whatever they need.”
The situation in the grocery stores of Mirpur 2 was no different. Most shops had no soybean oil, with some selling loose soybean oil instead.
Md Jony from "Molla General Store" explained: “We’re not getting oil from the companies. They gave us some two-litre bottles earlier, but we had to buy pilaf rice along with them. Now I’m selling loose soybean oil for Tk190 per litre.”
Another shopkeeper from "Jisan General Store" added: “The companies don’t supply soybean oil, so I can’t sell it. Customers come and leave empty-handed. What else can I do? I don’t have any stock.”
The ongoing crisis has left both sellers and consumers frustrated, with no immediate solution in sight.
