Commerce minister explains why TCB postponed sales of staples

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has explained why the government has postponed the sales of groceries to the poor at subsidised prices through its trading arm under the so-called truck sale scheme.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has pointed out that only the residents of Dhaka and Chattogram cities get the benefits of the so-called truck sale programme of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, according to Tipu.

Therefore, a different approach is needed to sell the products to people in the rural areas.

“We will take some time to sell the goods in Dhaka again and we will also sell in villages," he said, speaking at a dialogue organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum at the Secretariat on Monday. 

The TCB said in a notice last week its dealers would begin selling soybean oil on trucks at up to 300 places at metropolitans, district and Upazila towns across the country for 13 days from May 16. The price was kept unchanged at Tk 110 per litre amid a shortage and a price hike. The TCB said it would also sell sugar at Tk 55 per kg, lentils at Tk 65 and grams at Tk 50 per kg.

But it postponed the programme on Sunday, saying 10 million families across the country who have special cards will get the goods in June.  

It took the decision to ensure orderly distribution and that the people really in need of the products get those, according to a notice. The distribution of the cards among the beneficiaries is ongoing in Dhaka and Barishal.

The government will resume sales of the essentials through the family cards programme after completion of the card distribution, said the commerce minister.