Crowds grow bigger, wait longer for TCB goods as prices spiral in Dhaka

Saidur Rahman, a security guard of a market, waited in Dhaka’s Mouchak for several hours over the past two days to buy oil, rice and lentil at relatively cheap prices from a dealer of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh under a scheme for the poor.

Unaware of a two-day suspension in the programme, many low-income people in the area returned home without buying the commodities. Finally, the TCB dealer arrived with the goods on a truck on Wednesday. 

Saidur waited in a queue for another two and a half hours before his turn came to buy the products. He said he would take them home to Sherpur for his family after some days.

The TCB was selling onion at Tk 30 per kg, soybean oil at Tk 100 per litre, sugar at Tk 50 per kg, and lentil at Tk 55, much lower than the prices at the retail market.

It increased the price of soybean oil to Tk 110 and lentil to Tk 60 on Wednesday as the retail prices continued to soar.

More hikes in prices are likely in the coming days as the transport cost is rising due to an increase in diesel price. 

“Price have increased so much that it has become difficult for me to run my family with my salary. Moreover, my children’s education spending has increased. I can save some money if I buy TCB goods,” said Saidur.

Thousands of people wait for hours daily to buy goods from the TCB dealers at 52 points in the capital amid the coronavirus crisis. The crowds are getting bigger in areas with more people from low-income groups as prices continue to spiral out of the easy reach of the most.  

People buy necessities at subsidised prices from a TCB truck on Dhaka’s Topkhana Road area on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2021. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

At Mouchak on Wednesday, they were engaged in brawls several times over their serial in the queues.    

At Rampura, many customers got nothing as the TCB dealer ran out of products. 

Desperate to take food home, a woman jumped the queue and asked the dealer to give her something just before the end of the day’s sale.

Her eyes got watery as she was describing her ordeal to bdnews24.com. A mother of three daughters, she said her family cannot afford to buy food with what her husband, a driver, earns.     

The dealer, Noor-e-Nazneen said many customers return without the goods daily as the allotment runs out.

A customer is allowed to buy 2 kg of sugar and lentil each, 2 litres of soybean oil and up to 5 kg of onion under the TCB programme.