C T Online Desk: Separate monitoring teams of the government have found anomalies in sales and supply chain of edible oil by three edible oil refining companies and asked the refiners to explain the alleged irregularities being present at the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection office in person on Wednesday.
During the inspections the teams of DNCRP found that two refiners decreased the supply of edible oil in significant quantities in March than the supply of February.
In another refinery, DNCRP officials found that supply orders were being issued without mentioning the unit price of edible oil.
DNCRP on Monday inspected the refinery of TK Group situated in Narayanganj and found that the company decreased the supply of palm oil in March than the supply of February.
According to the government department, the refinery of TK Group reduced the supply of palm oil to 21,919 tonnes in March from 27,371 tonnes in February.
DNCRP team on Sunday inspected a refinery of Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd located at Narayanganj and found that the company also minimised the supply of edible oil significantly in March than the supply in February.
According to the government data, the refinery decreased the supply of edible oil to 8,263.98 tonnes in March from 14,038.41 tonnes in February.
Chattogram divisional office of DNCRP on Sunday inspected the edible oil refinery of S Alam Group and found that the company was not mentioning the unit price on the supply orders.
DNCRP in separate letters issued on Monday asked the authorities of the three companies to explain the alleged anomalies in person at the directorate in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Both the supply and price disorders of edible oil took place on the local market in the last week of February.
In the first week of March, unpackaged soya bean oil almost disappeared from most of the markets across the country.
The price of unpackaged soya bean oil increased up to Tk 190 a litre though the government set the price of the item at Tk 143 a litre.
Commerce minister Tipu Munshi in a meeting alleged that traders turned packaged soya bean oil into unpackaged oil to make profit.
Following the withdrawal of Value-Added Tax on the import of edible oil, the commerce ministry at a meeting with refiners on March 20 reduced the price of packaged soya bean oil to Tk 160 a litre from Tk 168 a litre and the price of unpackaged item had been set at Tk 136 a litre.
On March 22, the ministry reduced the price of palm oil to Tk 130 a litre from Tk 133 a litre.
Violating the government decision, traders are still selling edible oil at high prices on the local market.
According to the state owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, unpackaged soya bean oil was sold for Tk 145-150 a litre while palm oil was sold for Tk 140-144 a litre on Monday.
A one-litre bottle of soya bean oil was sold for Tk 160-165 on the day.
