\\\'TCB unable to supply essentials countrywide\\\'

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Sunday said the state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) does not have adequate workforce required for supplying essentials to consumers across the country. He stated this in Parliament while replying to a tabled starred question of Morshed Alam (Noakhali-2). The Commerce Minister mentioned that the market, in open market economy, is controlled by the businesspeople. He, however, said that a number of steps have been taken to keep the market stable. Responding to another question of M Rejaul Haque Chowdhury (Kusthia-1), the Commerce Minister said the annual demand for edible oil is around 1.6 million-1.7 million metric tonnes. Bangladesh imports edible oil from Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina, Thailand and Germany, he informed. Replying to a question of Asheque Ullah Rafique (Cox’s Bazar-2), Tofail said the government does not have any plan to import salt in the coming fiscal year. Bangladesh imported 58,148 metric tonnes of salt in fiscal 2012-2013, he added, according to UNB.