Strengthning TCB operations

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THE state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) was founded for importing essential commodities and to keep the market stable.
But like other state operated organisations, TCB was crippled by corruption and overstaffing. Since the nineties, its operations were gradually reduced as the government switched to the market economy. Now the TCB has virtually no function.
But it appears that, of late, the government has realised the need to reactivate it so that it can intervene in the market, when the latter does not behave properly.
It seems that the government would instruct TCB to import pulses, spices, edible oil, sugar and other commodities to help keep prices stable during the coming Ramadan. The government already authorised the TCB to accept bids from private importers of these products under buy-back arrangements.
But past experience shows that TCB did better in terms of both price and quality when it directly imported the goods. The private importers have been importing sub-standard goods at high prices, leaving no option to the consumers but to buy them. Therefore, the TCB needs to directly handle its imports. It can rely on the commercial wings of the Bangladeshi embassies round the world for this purpose. Besides, its own personnel with the requisite know-how can handle the import operations directly and efficiently without third party involvement.
Shibli Haider
Taltala, Khilgaon, Dhaka