Dhaka, Feb. 21 -- As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, the prices of many essential commodities remain relatively static compared to previous years.

However, the soaring prices of rice, edible oil, and pulses continue to burden consumers, with the soybean oil supply running critically low in many grocery stores, according to kitchen market sources.

Ramadan, a time of heightened demand for staples like edible oil, rice, lentils, chickpeas, sugar, dates, and other fruits, often sees prices surge.

This year, however, many items have maintained static prices, except for rice, soybean oil, a few pulses, and imported fruits.

A visit to the market on Friday revealed that sugar is selling at Tk 120-130 a kg, significantly lower than last ...