TCB to Start Selling for 10 Million Families from Mar 20: Tipu Munshi

The sale of some basic commodities by the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will try to target 1 crore (10 million), low-income families, nationwide from March 20 ahead of Ramadan month, said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Friday, reports UNB.

TCB's products will be sold to these families in two phases, the minister told the reporters at a press conference organised by the TCB at the Export Development Bureau's conference room in Dhaka.

The sale in the first phase will start from March 20-30 and the second phase's sale from April 3-20.

In order to facilitate the sale of TCB's products in a systematic manner, a list of these families has been compiled across the country and special family cards have been distributed, said the minister.

Of these, 12 lakh families in Dhaka North and South City Corporation and 90,000 families in Barisal City Corporation could not be issued the family cards. And so, all of TCB's products will be sold to them through mobile trucks, he added.

The commerce minister also said the list has been prepared with the help of Deputy Commissioners, Upazila Nirbahi Officers and people's representatives at the union level considering the local population and poverty indicators which will benefit about 50 million people.

The place and time of sale of the product will be informed to the family cardholders on the day before the distribution.

Each cardholder can buy two litres of soybean oil at Tk 110 per litre, two kg of sugar at Tk 55 per kg, two kg of lentils at Tk 65 per kg and two kg of chickpeas at Tk 50 per packet.

Tipu Munshi said there is no possibility of a product crisis as the country has sufficient stocks of essential commodities. "If everyone does not buy extra products at once, then there will be no problem," he added.

TCB chairman Brigadier General Md Ariful Hassan, Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry Tapan Kanti Ghosh and Director General of Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection AHM Shafiquzzaman were also present at the conference.