The Commerce Advisor's warning has not been of any use in the edible oil market. Refining and marketing companies are selling oil at their own inflated prices. They have been supplying soybean oil to the market at higher prices for a week, in a kind of thumbs-up to the government. As a result, consumers are having to buy cooking oil at higher prices.

Edible oil is being sold at a higher price without any announcement - after the news was published last Wednesday, Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin said that traders have increased the price of edible oil without informing the government. There is no legal basis for traders to increase prices in this way. The Ministry of Commerce will take action in this regard. Then on Thursday, in a meeting with edible oil traders at the Ministry of Commerce, it was decided that the price should be reduced from 9 taka per liter. The extent to which the additional price will be reduced can be finalized in the meeting on Sunday. However, the companies are not waiting for the final decision. They are supplying oil at a higher price. As a result, an additional 9 taka per liter is going from the pockets of the buyers to the traders.

On Saturday, after searching several wholesale and retail markets in the capital, it was learned that almost all brands of bottled soybean oil, including Rupchanda, Teer, Pusti, and Fresh, are being sold at higher prices. The newly introduced five-liter bottles are being sold at Tk 965. In addition, the price of bottled oil has been fixed at Tk 198 per liter and Tk 396 for two liters. A week ago, bottled oil was sold at Tk 189 per liter and five-liter bottles at Tk 922. However, old low-priced oil from one or two companies, including the newly introduced Starship brand, is also being sold.

The prices of edible oils have also increased over the past week. Soybean oil is being sold at Tk 170 to Tk 172 per liter and palm oil at Tk 152 to Tk 155 per liter, although these two types of oil were supposed to be sold at Tk 169 and Tk 150 respectively.

Md. Raihan, proprietor of Tuhin General Store in Karwan Bazar, told Samakal, "There is no shortage in the supply of oil. Dealers of all companies are providing oil. However, all of them are providing oil at a higher price."

The Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Bonaspati Manufacturers Association, an organization of edible oil importers and marketers, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Commerce on November 10, demanding that the price of oil be increased in the local market as the global market is increasing. They claim that the price has been increased in the local market as per the law after informing the government. However, the Ministry of Commerce has said that no decision has been taken yet on the price increase. Although the companies argue that the price has been increased as per the law even without permission.