Record daily commodities have been imported around Ramadan. To meet the increased demand during this time, traders and importers have already ensured huge stocks of various products including chickpeas, dates, pulses, onions, garlic, sugar, edible oil.

However, despite sufficient imports, bottled soybean oil is attracting attention. The crisis of this product in the market has not yet ended. Although bottled oil is available in a handful of shops, it is being kept higher than the government-set price. Due to the shortage of bottled soybean oil, open soybean oil is also being sold at a higher price.

A review of the Bangladesh Bank’s LC settlement data shows that the total import of 9 consumer goods in the country in the four months from October to January of the 2023-24 fiscal year was 1.475 million 713 tons. And in the same period of the current (2024-25) fiscal year, 1.919 million 450 tons were imported.

The interim government has taken various steps to increase the supply of consumer goods and reduce the prices of goods during the month of Ramadan, giving utmost importance to increasing the supply of consumer goods and reducing the prices of goods. To increase imports and keep prices under control, duty exemptions were given on various products including edible oil, chickpeas, sugar, onions, potatoes, and dates. Overall, importers have imported consumer goods at a large rate this time, increasing the incentive for imports.