Edible Oil Shortage Hits Bangladesh Consumers as Egg, Vegetable Prices Soar

🛢 Dhaka, Bangladesh — Edible oil marketing companies have kept soybean oil supplies tight for weeks, citing rising global prices, even after regulators approved a Tk5-per-litre increase for bottled soybean oil. Visits to several kitchen markets on 4 September 2026 confirmed the supply crisis has not eased despite the price hike.

📊 Bottled soybean oil now sells at Tk204 per litre, up from Tk199, while loose soybean oil and palm oil prices remain unchanged. Even after the increase, supply has not returned to normal, and in some places shortages have pushed traders to sell old-priced oil above the fixed rate.

🛢 Oil Supply Stays Tight Despite Price Hike

💬 Rahat, a retailer at Lalbagh Bazar, said supply has not picked up since the new price was announced on Wednesday (2 September), as companies are holding back regular orders until stock at the new price arrives. Shopkeepers said suppliers have not been delivering oil regularly for nearly two weeks, and when small quantities do arrive after repeated orders, their commissions have also been cut.

🍭 Sugar Also in Short Supply, Prices Up

📊 Sugar has run short alongside oil, with some retail shops unable to meet demand. Its price has climbed by about Tk10 to 15 per kg over the past two weeks. Sellers attributed this to reduced supply combined with higher wholesale prices, which has pushed up retail rates as well.

🌾 Vegetable Prices: Tk80-120 Per kg Range

📊 Vegetable prices have also climbed, rising by Tk10 to 20 per kg compared with last week. Current market prices:

• 🍆 Brinjal: Tk100-120 per kg
• 🥚 Bitter gourd: Tk80 per kg
• 🥜 Yardlong beans: Tk80 per kg
• 🌷 Okra: Tk80 per kg
• 🥞 Pointed gourd: Tk80 per kg
• 🍠 Kakrol: Tk80 per kg
• 🥝 Cucumber (local): Tk80-100 per kg
• 🥛 Tomato: Tk120-140 per kg
• 🌷 Winter beans (early): Tk180-200 per kg
• 🌸 Papaya: Tk40 per kg
• 🌶 Green chilli: Tk160 per kg (up from Tk120 last week)

🌿 Leafy greens have stayed comparatively steady, with red amaranth and kalmi shak at Tk10 a bunch, data shak at Tk30-40, pui shak at Tk30-50, lau shak at Tk40-60 and kachu shak at Tk25-30.

💬 Buyer Voices: Difficult to Survive

💬 Vegetable buyer Abu Daud said every vegetable in the market has become costlier, with prices up by at least Tk10 and nothing available under Tk80 per kg. Buying tomato, brinjal and bitter gourd now costs more than Tk100 per kg, he said, leaving people who earn Tk500-600 a day to choose between fish, vegetables and rice. He urged the government to think about people in that position.

🥚 Eggs: Tk165 Per Dozen, Up From Tk150

📊 Eggs, long seen as an affordable protein source for low- and middle-income households, are also expensive now. A dozen eggs cost Tk165 in the market and four cost Tk55. Buyers said sellers used to knock off up to Tk2 on a dozen but no longer do so.

💬 Egg seller Masum said farm eggs are now selling at Tk55 for four, and prices keep rising with no sign of falling.

🐔 Chicken and Beef Prices

📊 The chicken market has seen no major change:

• 🐔 Broiler chicken: Tk190 per kg
• 🐔 Sonali chicken: Tk320 per kg
• 🐄 Beef: Tk800 per kg

🐟 Fish Prices Stay High

📊 Fish prices have brought little relief either, staying high across the board:

• 🐟 Tilapia: Tk250-260 per kg
• 🐟 Pangas: Tk230-250 per kg
• 🐟 Rui-katla: Tk380-420 per kg
• 🐟 Shrimp: Tk1,000-1,300 per kg
• 🐟 Pabda: Tk350-400 per kg
• 🐟 Mrigel: Tk250-300 per kg
• 🐟 Deshi koi: Tk700-800 per kg
• 🐟 Farmed koi: Tk300 per kg
• 🐟 Farmed shing: Tk300-450 per kg

💬 Mafizul Islam, a fish seller at New Market, said medium rui is selling at Tk300-350 per kg, while local river fish such as bele that are in relatively high demand now cost more than Tk1,000 per kg.

🌏 Strategic Context: Bangladesh Food Inflation Crisis

📊 The kitchen market crisis reflects Bangladesh’s broader food inflation challenge. Several factors are driving the price surge:

• 🛢 Global commodity prices — edible oil and sugar affected by international market trends
• 🌾 Local supply chain disruptions — flooding in some agricultural areas
• 👥 Transportation costs — higher fuel prices affecting distribution
• 💰 Taka depreciation — imported food items cost more in local currency
• 🌿 Seasonal factors — monsoon effect on vegetable supply
• 🛢 Edible oil supply manipulation — companies holding back supply despite price hike

⚠ For low- and middle-income households, the cumulative effect of these price increases is severe:

• 💲 Edible oil: Tk5/litre increase (2.5% rise)
• 🍭 Sugar: Tk10-15/kg increase (10-15% rise in 2 weeks)
• 🥚 Eggs: Tk15/dozen increase (10% rise)
• 🌾 Vegetables: Tk10-20/kg increase (10-25% rise)
• 🌶 Green chilli: Tk40/kg increase (33% rise in 1 week)

🤝 For Bangladesh’s policymakers, the kitchen market crisis requires urgent multi-pronged action:

• 🛢 Edible oil supply monitoring — investigate companies holding back supply despite price hike approval
• 💰 Strategic reserves — build buffer stocks of essential commodities
• 💲 Open market sales (OMS) — expand subsidised food distribution for low-income households
• 📊 Import facilitation — reduce regulatory friction on essential food imports
• 🌿 Agricultural support — boost domestic production of vegetables, pulses, oilseeds
• 📋 Market monitoring — strict action against hoarding and price manipulation

✅ For the broader economy, sustained food inflation has macroeconomic implications — pushing CPI inflation higher, increasing pressure on the central bank to maintain tight monetary policy, and reducing real disposable incomes for the majority of Bangladesh’s population that earns less than Tk600 per day. The kitchen market crisis is not just a consumer issue but a macroeconomic challenge that requires coordinated action across commerce ministry, agriculture ministry, Bangladesh Bank and the NBR — to ensure that the country’s food supply chain functions efficiently and affordably for all citizens.