Staff Correspondent

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Saturday said that the prices of most essential commodities have now reached a tolerable level, with the government remaining focused on maintaining stability throughout Ramadan and ensuring an adequate supply of soybean oil.

“During Ramadan, the demand for certain products like edible oil, snacks, chickpeas and dates increases. The government is taking necessary steps to maintain affordable prices for these items,” he said while speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Saturday.

Shafiqul Alam said the government remains focused on ensuring price stability throughout Ramadan. “We are continuously monitoring the supply situation of both loose and bottled soybean oil.”

He said that the price of loose soybean oil had begun to decrease slightly and expressed the hope that prices would stabilise as the supply improved, while also addressing concerns about the disappearance of bottled soybean oil from the market and assuring efforts to maintain a steady supply.

About the challenges facing by the interim government, Alam said, “Since assuming office on August 8, the government had to focus on handling multiple floods over the following months. There were six separate flood incidents.

He, however, said from October onwards, the Chief Adviser instructed all relevant departments, including advisers responsible for food and essential commodities, to prioritise measures aimed at stabilising the cost of living, particularly ahead of Ramadan.

Shafiqul Alam highlighted that the Ministry of Commerce, the National Board of Revenue, the Tariff Commission and the central bank are working collectively to keep prices in check.

“Thanks to a combined effort, we can already say that the prices of many products have become more stable. The government remains committed to making further improvements during Ramadan,” he said.

Alam reassured that the authorities are monitoring the daily import and refining of edible oil to ensure adequate supply.

“We are observing the quantities of imported edible oil that are being refined, and we anticipate that the supply situation will further improve in the coming days,” he added.