Bangladesh
Soybean Oil Crisis 15 tonnes of bottled soybean oil found during raid
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, May 10: Fifteen tonnes of bottled soybean oil was found in a godown at Pahartali, one of the wholesale markets in Chittagong.
While carrying out a raid at Messrs Siraj Store in the market, the National Consumer Rights Protection Department found the oil stored in the company's godown at 12 noon on Monday (May 9).
Department officials said the oil was stored before the new price was set. These oil bottles were immediately ordered to be sold to general consumers, including retailers. Besides, the company was also fined Tk one lakh 70 thousand.
Meanwhile, when the news of selling soybean oil at earlier price spread, people from nearby grocery stores, restaurants and tea shops lined up to buy oil. The soybean oil was being sold at Tk 150 per litre.
In this regard, Anisur Rahman, Assistant Director, National Consumer Rights Protection Department, Chittagong, said that soybean oil is being discussed all over the country before and after Eid. Many are stockpiling edible oil illegally.
The Consumer Rights Protection Department has seized 15,000 litres of soybean oil from three godowns of Siraj Store owned by Sirajul Haque, a wholesale trader in Chittagong's Pahartali Bazar.
Mohammad Fayez Ullah, Deputy Director, Department of Consumer Protection, confirmed that the oil had been seized in a raid on Monday afternoon.
Earlier on Sunday (May 8), the Consumer Protection Department recovered more than 1,050 litres of stored oil in a raid at Karnafuli Market in the city. Khwaja Store was fined Tk 40,000 for the incident.
Anisur Rahman, assistant director of the departmental office of the Department of Consumer Protection, said, "At present, people are not getting bottled soybean oil. Such allegations are coming to us. Our job is to protect consumer rights. So we are carrying out operations in different markets every day and the issue of stockpiling oil is being proved time and time again. We will be tougher on this, we will intensify our operations and raids."
He said the oil bottles were stockpiled before Eid for the purpose of making more profit by creating an artificial crisis in the market.
