Cooking Oil Shortage Forces Consumers to Buy Sesame and Peanut Oil at High Prices

Edible palm oil becomes unavailable in the market, forcing people to buy only sesame oil and peanut oil at high prices

October 16

After imports of foreign cooking oil were restricted in an effort to reduce foreign currency spending, domestically produced cooking oil has become unavailable in the current market, and foreign cooking oil prices have skyrocketed, leaving ordinary people facing various difficulties, it is learned.

Under the junta government's quota system for selling palm oil, monthly cooking oil purchase rights are granted only per relevant township and ward based on oil ration cards and household lists, and because the quota of cooking oil received is insufficient, ordinary people are facing difficulties, it is learned.

"If you buy it for business use, you have to pay a separate price. If you want to buy it that way, you have to go through multiple levels of recommendation letters, and even then you can't get as much oil as you need. As for ordinary household use, it's sold once a week, so for households with large families, one viss is not enough," said a Yangon resident.

The price of palm oil in the outside black market is around 19,000 to 20,000 kyats per viss, it is learned, and because the rationed cooking oil sold to frying businesses and businesses that use cooking oil is insufficient, they have also had to buy and use sesame oil and peanut oil from outside, it is learned.

"Now that they say they'll arrest anyone selling palm oil, you can no longer buy palm oil outside whenever you want. We're having to buy and use only the peanut oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil sold by big shops. Frying businesses are having to pay high prices for sesame oil and peanut oil just to keep operating. To make it worthwhile, we've had to raise the prices of our fried foods too," said a tea shop owner.

At current outside big shops, ground peanut oil is over 35,000 kyats per viss, machine-pressed oil is 32,000 kyats, sesame oil is 28,000, sunflower oil is 30,000 kyats, and soybean oil is 28,000 kyats, it is learned.

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