There is a possibility of a 7 to 8 taka per liter reduction in the price of soybean oil before Eid-ul-Azha, following the Ministry of Commerce’s decision to decrease it by 10 taka per liter. The price of bottled soybean oil was 189 taka per liter and open soybean oil was 167 taka per liter. Palm oil prices have also declined. Another round of price reduction for edible oil is anticipated within the next 15 days, according to Tapan Kanti Ghosh, senior secretary of the Ministry of Commerce.
The senior commerce secretary will initiate measures to lower the price of soybean oil ensuring a reduction before Eid. International soybean oil prices have dropped by around 26 percent in the past three months. In contrast, mill owners’ proposal to increase sugar prices by 20-25 taka per kilogram before Eid was rejected in a meeting with the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC). A subsequent meeting after Eid will determine any adjustments to sugar prices, with the government’s fixed rates at 125 taka for packaged sugar and 120 taka for open sugar. The official inflation rate reached 9.94 percent in May, the highest in 11 years, while sugar is currently being sold at 140 taka per kilogram despite the government’s set rate.