TCB truck-sale leaves no visible impact yet

The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has enhanced its sale of some selective items through trucks to keep their prices stable ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, though the drive is yet to make any visible impact on the market.  

The TCB is now selling four types of commodities that include sugar, soybean oil, lentils and grams through dealers at 175 selling centers by the same number of trucks across the country since June 10 last.

TCB is selling per kg of sugar at Tk 40, while lentils Tk 65, gram Tk 44 and per litre of bottled soybean oil between Tk 106 and Tk 107. It will start selling dates one week before the start of Ramadan. Per kg of dates is fixed at Tk 70.

In the city's kitchen markets per kg of sugar was sold between Tk 46 and Tk 48 on Sunday while lentil depending on quality between Tk 80 and Tk 112, gram between Tk 60 and Tk 70 and per litre bottled soybean oil between Tk 112 and Tk 114.

"We will increase the number of trucks if the situation demands," spokesman of TCB Md Humayun Kabir told the FE Sunday.  

He said they are monitoring the sales and actions will be taken against sellers if found involved in irregularities.  

TCB has sufficient quantity of soybean, sugar and lentils so that unscrupulous traders could not hike the prices of the items artificially during Ramadan.

"The government gives importance to keeping supply and prices steady and stable during Ramadan," a ministry of commerce (MoC) official told the FE.

Of the 175 points, 26 are in Dhaka city, 10 in Chittagong city, five in each of the rest five divisional cities and two in each of the remaining districts across the country.

The selling centres in the capital are: Jatiya Press Club, Bangladesh Secretariat Gate, Fakirapool Bazar and Ideal School zone, Santinagar Bazar, Shapla Chattar (intersection),  Dainik Bangla intersection, Shahjahanpur Bazar, Bashaboo Bazar, Jatrabari intersection, Kaptan Bazar,  Islamabag kitchen market (Lalbagh),  Chapra Mosque and Palashi Bazar,  New Market kitchen market,  Jigatola kitchen market, Khamar Bari  (Farmgate),  Mohakhali kitchen market,  Rampura Bazar, Banasri Bazar, Agargaon Bazar, Sheorapara,  Mirpur 10 intersection,  Kachukhet Bazar, Mohammadpur Town Hall market, Mohammadpur Krishi Market, Abdullahpur Bazar (Uttara) and Golap Shah Mazar (Gulistan).