Govt plans to sell more items under TCB sales drive: Titu

The government plans to add more items to the list of essential commodities available under the TCB's subsidised sales programme in the near future.
In addition, it has decided to maintain a buffer stock of these commodities in order to check price volatility and ensure stability in the kitchen market.
State minister for commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu revealed the plans while inaugurating a subsidised sales programme of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at Nadda-Baridhara Park in the capital city on Tuesday.
During this sales drive, three essential items will be sold at subsidised rates among 10 million family card holders.
The state minister said the Bangladesh Tariff Commission had proposed that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) slash the duty on daily essentials in the upcoming budget.
He also said, "We have already sat with the NBR to discuss how to maintain the duty structure at an affordable level."
The government has planned to build a buffer stock of key essential items to face any crisis or check price spiral in the future, he added.
Titu expressed the hope that it would be possible to build a one-and-a-half month's stock of such products and such a system would be able to break up any syndicates and to mitigate the shortage of kitchen items.
The government is also considering providing the essential items for common people through rationing system as in the past, he mentioned.
The state minister said the government has a plan to sell more commodities under the sales drive of TCB. Besides, TCB is likely to open more outlets in rural and urban areas by increasing the number of dealers.
Under the current month-long drive, TCB will sell 2.0 litres of soybean/rice bran oil at Tk 100 per litre, and 2.0 kg of lentils at Tk 60 per kg.
Besides, each card holder can buy five kg of rice at Tk 30 per kg.
Senior secretary at the commerce ministry Tapan Kanti Ghosh, and TCB chairman Md Ariful Hassan were present at the event.

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