Bangladesh
TCB Rice will also be available on TCB's family card
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, August 24: Commodities such as oil, sugar, and pulses are available at affordable prices through the government agency Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB). Now rice is added to that list. One crore card holders of TCB can buy this rice. This program will start soon.
The Food Department said that the government has taken this initiative to provide relief to the poor and low-income people. At least once a month, 10 kg of rice will be given at an affordable price to TCB family card holders. How much this rice will be sold has not yet been determined. However, a source said that per kg of rice is fixed at Tk 15.
Currently, TCB is offering various products to one crore cardholders at least once every month. Among them, a customer is getting two liters of soybean oil, two kg of dal, sugar, and five kg of onion in the city. Now when the rice donation programme starts, a customer can buy 10 kg of rice in addition to these products.
Food Secretary Md. Ismail Hossain said, "The Prime Minister has given instructions in this regard. We are working on it seriously. This programme will be implemented soon."
He also said that TCB and Food Directorate are different organizations. How it will be implemented is being discussed. Besides, the price of rice is being worked on and whether the OMS dealer of the Food Department or the TCB dealer will distribute it.
TCB spokesperson Humayun Kabir said, "I know that the process of giving rice will start. It is being discussed at the ministry level. However, no official instructions have come to TCB yet."
TCB is a marketing organization under the Ministry of Commerce. They have dealers all over the country marketing everyday products at affordable prices. TCB has never sold rice before, although it sells other products. However, the Food Directorate, an organization under the Ministry of Food, has been selling rice in the open market through OMS. A buyer can buy rice at Tk 15 and flour at Tk 18 per kg from the OMS dealer."
Meanwhile, consumers concerned say that people will get some relief from TCB's move to reduce the cost pressure on the family due to the increase in commodity prices. Because now the price of coarse rice in the Dhaka market has also increased to Tk 55 per kg. Which is 15 percent more than a month ago. Not only coarse rice but also fine and medium rice prices have increased.
