Salim Moshiur, Cumilla (South)

Ahead of the upcoming Ramadan, the instability in the market price of edible oil across the country has affected the markets of the greater Laksam upazila in the southern part of Cumilla.

The market for edible oil and other products has also become unstable due to various pretexts.

There are various controversies in the public mind of the area regarding the manipulation of edible oil by local hoarding traders and proper quality control, and the health risks of the people of this region are increasing. How long will the price of edible oil continue to be a source of concern for the people of Comilla. Various anger is growing in the public mind of the area regarding this. It is all as if it is the manipulation of syndicate traders.

Multiple sources of local victims said that people of this region are struggling to buy edible oil along with daily necessities across the district's markets. The price of edible oil has been increased several times in the last two weeks, causing no relief to the public. A 1 liter bottle of soybean oil of various brands is sold at 198/200 taka and a 5 liter bottle at 950/980 taka, and mustard oil mills are selling it at a higher price than the retail price of soybean oil.

The price of edible oil is 40/50 percent higher than the market price of last year at the beginning of this year. However, despite the prices of these edible oils increasing like a wild horse in the current market, reports published by various private organizations show that various rumors are emerging in the public mind about what we are eating. In the meantime, traders have been looting the market prices of rice, pulses, vegetables and spices, and it is nothing but a fantasy that edible oil traders will sit there. Although several soybean oil factories have been established in this region without the administration's knowledge, many have raised questions about the role of the Market Monitoring Committee.

The source further said that at the end of November last year, according to information from a private organization, 77 samples of bottled and open soybean, mustard and coconut oil collected from the market were tested for free fatty acid levels, and 30 samples were found to have higher than normal levels of free fatty acids. Various brands of cooking oil imported from abroad are made safe and edible by refining them, but some unscrupulous domestic traders of those products are not controlling the quality properly to save costs or evade government revenue.

In addition, 6 out of 13 samples of bottled soybean oil had a harmful level of free fatty acids of 0.2 percent, but the other 6 out of the 13 samples tested had harmful free fatty acids ranging from 2.2 to 2.8 percent. The condition of open soybean oil is even worse. There is nothing to say about its nutritional value.

Of these, two samples were tested and both were found to have 2.6 to 3.5 percent free fatty acids. Mustard oil sold in the open market across the markets also has 1.25 percent fatty acids. While 10 out of 19 samples of bottled mustard oil were found to have 1.3 to 2 percent free fatty acids, the report revealed that 4 out of 5 samples of open mustard oil were found to have 1.3 to 2.4 percent free fatty acids.

The source further said that most of the samples of almond and sesame oil also contain excessive amounts of those harmful substances. 4 out of 17 samples of coconut oil were found to have harmful substances, while olive oil and rice bran oil showed evidence of harmful substances slightly higher than normal levels. However, the BSTI authorities have to determine the correct quality of soybean oil and the color, acid, iodine value, resistive index and melting point of those products are tested in that institution.

However, the sanitary inspectors of their respective areas take care of the matter during market monitoring. Only they can say the best in this regard. Public health lab tests have found evidence of excessive adulteration, pump oil and low-quality vegetable oil in those vegetable oils. Those vegetable oils play a supporting role in providing energy and inhibiting tissue formation in the human body. In addition to the serious risk to the heart, excessive use of acetic acid in the human body can lead to cancer, hypertension and diabetes, as well as an abnormal increase in body weight and the risk of death.

Multiple sources of local economic experts said that only 10 percent of the demand for about 3,000 tons of vegetable oil is being produced locally in this region. As a result, the entire remaining amount has to be brought from outside to meet the demand of the area. Necessary legal action should be taken against the over-profitable, over-greedy traders in the markets of this region. Not just verbally. Those involved in manipulating the market prices of daily commodities including vegetable oil should be identified and strict punishment should be provided.

Everyone should remember that the main ingredient in the food list of people of all classes and professions in this region is vegetable oil. The local administration should control the market price at any cost. We want an immediate end to this situation of vegetable oil. The people of the area have raised questions about the responsibilities and roles of several organizations and authorities, including the District BSTI and the Consumer Rights Protection Council.

In this regard, it was not possible to get comment from the district, upazila and divisional officials.