Consumers in Feni have reported having to pay Tk 200 to Tk 300 above the government-set price for 12kg liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, with significant differences in prices between wholesale and retail outlets across the district.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has set the price of a 12kg LPG cylinder at Tk 1,837 under its latest pricing decision. However, cylinders are reportedly being sold for Tk 1,900 to Tk 2,000 or even more at several markets in Feni.
Consumers have blamed supply shortages and weak market supervision for the higher prices. Many households that depend on LPG for cooking are now facing increased expenses, while some customers say they have had to visit several shops before finding a cylinder.
Abdur Rahman, a resident of Masterpara in Feni town, said the sudden increase in the price had made it harder for his family to manage its monthly expenses. He said he bought a 12kg cylinder for Tk 2,000, paying Tk 200 more than the regulated price.
“I work for a modest salary and live in a rented home with six family members,” he said. “I bought the 12kg cylinder for Tk 2,000 from a local market. It is becoming extremely difficult to manage our household expenses this way.”
Khaniz Fatema, who lives on Academy Road, said her household depends on her husband’s limited income. As there is no practical opportunity to use a wood-burning stove at home, the family has little choice but to rely on LPG for cooking.
The higher prices are also affecting small businesses. Mohammad Ismail, who runs a tea and snack shop on Trunk Road, said he had been forced to absorb the increased cost of LPG rather than raise the price of his food.
He said he continued to sell singara for Tk 10 because increasing the price to Tk 15 could drive customers away. For small food businesses operating on narrow margins, a rise in cooking fuel costs can therefore put additional pressure on already limited earnings.
Retailers, meanwhile, have pointed to higher wholesale prices as one reason for selling cylinders above the regulated rate. Tarek-ul Islam, a trader at the head of Nasira Dighi Road in Chhagalnaiya, said he bought a 12kg cylinder wholesale for Tk 1,900 on Tuesday. He said this left him with little choice but to sell it for Tk 2,000.
He argued that retailers could sell cylinders at lower prices if distributors supplied them at the government-set rate.
Abul Kasem, a retailer at Jamaddar Bazar, said he had not received Bashundhara LPG cylinders for the past two months. He also claimed that cylinders from another company were costing him about Tk 200 more than usual, forcing him to charge customers more.
The situation described by retailers has also raised questions about prices at the distribution level. Shahadat Hossain Tarek, cashier at Messrs Russell Enterprise, a Bashundhara LPG distributor in Feni, said that although BERC had fixed the price of a 12kg cylinder at Tk 1,837, his business was purchasing cylinders from the company at between Tk 1,900 and Tk 1,950.
He said the distributor was selling the cylinders with a profit of about Tk 50 per unit. According to him, some retail traders in rural areas were setting their own prices and making profits of Tk 200 to Tk 500 per cylinder.
He also said that supply remained inadequate despite the higher prices, with cylinders from two companies reportedly unavailable for the past two months. This has created additional pressure on consumers looking for LPG in the local market.
Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of the Feni district branch of Citizens for Good Governance, called for stronger monitoring by the authorities. He said markets should be monitored regularly from urban areas to villages to prevent consumers from being charged excessive prices.
He pointed out that many people were already struggling financially and that even relatively small additional costs could become difficult for low-income households to absorb.
Mohammad Asadul Islam, assistant director of the Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection in Feni, said the LPG market was being monitored regularly. He said action would be taken after complaints were investigated and urged consumers to report cases in which sellers charge more than the regulated price.
Feni Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mahbubul Karim said administrative drives were under way to ensure that LPG was sold at the government-set price of Tk 1,837. However, he said 18 suppliers in the district had informed the administration that they themselves were unable to purchase LPG at the regulated rate. In some cases, they were reportedly having to buy cylinders for Tk 1,900 or more.
The deputy commissioner said the issue would be brought to the attention of the relevant ministry.
The competing claims from consumers, retailers, distributors and suppliers point to a wider problem in the local LPG supply chain. While consumers are facing prices significantly above the regulated rate, traders say higher procurement costs and shortages are making it difficult to maintain the official price.
Resolving the issue will therefore require scrutiny at different stages of the supply chain, alongside regular monitoring of retail outlets. For households and small businesses that depend on LPG every day, the difference between the official price and the amount actually paid is becoming a direct addition to their living and operating costs.
