Finding alternatives to soybean oil

Sharmeen Islam's family has six members. Her husband's monthly income is 50 thousand taka. Every month, she buys a five-litre bottle of soybean oil and tries to last the whole month with it. Sharmeen Islam said that even if five litres is written on the bottle, it actually contains 500 grams of less oil than that. “I use oil to cook three meals a day for the family and various snacks. Soybean oil tastes better than any other oil we are used to. But now we are using palm oil the price of soybean oil price has increased. Hopefully, we will gradually get used to it too. "

The price of soybean oil was increased to Tk 135 in May 2021, Tk 150 in January 2022 and Tk 198 in May 2022. Currently, the price of one litre of soybean oil is Tk 185–195. This price is the highest in the history of Bangladesh. Earlier, the price of soybean oil did not reach more than 38 taka per litre. It is known that the price has increased due to the increase in prices in the international market and supply and distribution problems. The question is how true the entire hullabaloo that is being made about soybean oil in Bangladesh. Will we be able to find the right answer to this? Or will it remain a mystery? It is inexplicable how soybean oil was not available in stores for three weeks, a few days before Eid-ul-Azha in July, whereas the supply was sufficient a month before.

This is not the first such uproar over soybean oil. It has happened before. The situation was not so complicated then. As the price of soybean oil increases day by day, many people are wondering if any other oil can be used instead. Already, being health conscious, many people have shifted to using rice bran, sunflower, mustard, or olive oil instead of soybean oil in the last three to four years. However, most people in the country are used to soybean oil.

In particular, middle-class and low-income people do not use any oil other than soybean oil. Soybean oil is widely used at weddings and other events. Soybean oil is cheaper than most other oils, so a large number of people in the country rely on this oil. That is why its crisis has become a national crisis.

Soybeans are a type of grain seed. Apart from oil, it is used in various dishes. Soybean cultivation began around 2838 BC during the reign of King Sheng Nang of China. In 1804 AD, we find the first mention of soybean oil in American literature. Soybeans are known to have been cultivated in early China, South Asia, Korea, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. At around 1904, China brought soybeans to America.

Since 1930, soybean oil has started to be known internationally. Gradually, it became quite popular. Soybean is known as the "miracle crop" because soybeans can be used in many ways. In our country, it is used as cooking oil, but in the rest of the world, it is used in many ways. Soybean oil is used for making cakes and candies smooth and creamy, as salad dressings, in various cereals and snacks, and in breads. Also, the hugely popular soy sauce is made from it.

Soybeans are brought to the subcontinent from Indonesia, through Burma. Mustard oil has been used for cooking in our country for hundreds of years. Mustard oil is very beneficial. Mustard was cultivated in the agrarian society. A type of machine called a “ghani” is used to extract oil from mustard seeds to produce high-quality oil. The oil produced in this way is unadulterated. It is known that in the 1980s, American companies began to promote and sell various grades of soybean oil in this country. Since then, mustard cultivation in the country has decreased. The use of soybean oil began. For so many years, we have been addicted to soybean oil, but there are many alternative oils available on the market. But the consumption of soybean oil is high in the country. Its supply was always high in the market as well.

That being said, what is at the root of soybean oil's popularity? Nutritionists say that this oil tastes good. It can be used in any type of cooking and is easily absorbed with the cooking ingredients. Although olive oil is a beneficial oil, many Bengalis do not like its taste in many dishes. Sunflower and olive oil are very expensive oils. Mustard and rice bran oils are comparatively less expensive but more expensive than soybean oil. We are so used to using soybean oil that all sorts of dishes cooked with mustard oil do not taste as palatable. We have become accustomed to soybeans.

The question is: if we have been used to soybean oil for so many years, why are we not producing it in this country? Ours is an agricultural society. The soil of this country is also fertile. Any foreign crop or vegetable can be easily produced on the soil of this country as well as our local crops. Since there is so much demand for soybean oil, we can cultivate it in the country and produce oil. Instead, it is imported from abroad. One section of traders benefited a lot from imported goods. That's why a profitable business has formed involving soybean oil.

But in the current situation, many people are using different oils as a substitute for soybean oil. Among these, rice bran oil (per liters 316 taka) and mustard oil (per litre 360 taka) are quite popular. These two oils are easily available in our country. Rice bran produces rice bran oil and mustard cultivation is very easy in our fertile land. Mustard oil can easily be produced in the ghanis and using machines here.

So the oil produced here is better in terms of quality than the oil imported from abroad. Moreover, less quantity can be used in cooking. Many people say that the cost of these two oils is slightly higher than soybean oil, but it is still economical to use as it requires less quantity. Their nutritional value is also very good.

According to the soil, climate, and environment of each country, the agricultural and fruit products of that country are suitable and beneficial for them. In our country, the effect of the cold lasts for five months in most places. At this time, people here use mustard oil on their skin. Applying mustard oil to the body gives a feeling of warmth in winter and reduces the incidences of catching colds and other health issues caused during the winter. Nutritionists say that using this oil in food for cooking has more benefits. Then, considering our climate, season, and physical benefits, mustard oil is suitable.

Similarly, rice bran oil is easily available as well as beneficial for us. This oil can now be produced anywhere in the country.

Since the consumption of rice is high in our country, the crushed rice or khud that remains during rice production is not very useful. Earlier, poor people used to eat this crushed rice. Now it is used as cattle fodder. This khud is very easy to collect. Oil can easily be made from this. Experts say this oil is especially useful for our bodies. It has no harmful side effects. Only rice bran oil can be used after cooking once. It does not lose its quality.

People love soybean oil, even though local oils have so many qualities. However, a few days before Eid-ul-Azha, people became frustrated due to the shortage of soybean oil, as oil is an essential ingredient for cooking Eid meat. One cannot think of cooking beef and mutton without it. As a result, the Bengalis could not accept the crisis in any way at this time. After the Russia-Ukraine war, the price of soybean oil started to fluctuate in the world market.

Brazil and Argentina are the largest producers and exporters of soybean oil in the world. Ahead of Eid, Argentina announced a freeze on soybean oil exports. Since it is cheaper than soybeans, many people use Indonesian palm oil as an alternative to soybeans. Ahead of Eid, Indonesia announced a ban on palm oil exports to stabilize prices in their country. As a result, the shortage of soybeans and palm oil in the market at that time increased the crisis. If only there was a shortage of soybean oil, the situation would not be like this. People could have bought palm oil as an alternative.

But at that time, there was also a crisis in palm oil. In addition, due to the increase in the price of goods in the market, people tend to buy fewer daily necessities. The demand for soybean oil in the market decreased at this time. As a result, importers import fewer soybean oils. But after Eid, the vested quarters kept stockpiling soybean oil, thinking that its demand might increase. This created a shortage of soybean oil.

Bangladesh has an annual demand for 2 million tonnes of soybean oil and 11 million tonnes of crude palm oil. The majority of this palm oil comes from Indonesia. Both palm oil and soybean oil are widely used, so they are in high demand.

However, on August 4, newspapers reported that the government would buy 3.30 crore litres of soybean oil from foreign companies. This oil will be bought at 136 taka per litre and given to low-income people at 110 taka. It is known that the government will give a subsidy of 26 taka per litre of oil. In such circumstances, this initiative by the government is undoubtedly commendable.

Even if this scheme is done for low-income people, it needs to be specially monitored as to how much it can be covered across the country. The government and concerned parties need to be aware of this distribution so that the poor get it. Instead of soybean oil, we can use rice bran oil or mustard oil as an alternative. Besides, everyone should use relatively less oil in cooking. We can also cook several types of vegetables or pulses and vegetables in this way by cooking more curry. which is also good for nutrition. Light cooking is easy to digest and uses less oil. So we can try this type of cooking. We should learn how to cook easily with less oil, which is healthier. Everyone should know these and cooking accordingly will reduce oil consumption. In this way, we can also reduce oil consumption. Further changes in our diet will reduce the pressure on oil and we will not be in a crisis.

The writer is a columnist. She can be contacted at [email protected]