Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin has stated that the rice market is currently unstable due to temporary hoarding. He assured that monitoring is being conducted and the market will come under control very soon. On Wednesday, at the inauguration ceremony of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) product sales programme at subsidised prices for low-income families at Begunbari Dipika intersection in Tejgaon, he announced that the activities of the TCB will now be conducted through the Smart Family Card system instead of the traditional paper system.
The Commerce Adviser said, "First, it was necessary to acknowledge the anarchy and corruption that has occurred in the distribution programme of the TCB. We have done that. To eliminate those issues, we are working to eliminate irregularities by digitising the process." Sheikh Bashiruddin added that 6.3 million smart cards have already been distributed, aiming to make the distribution programme fair and the procurement programme more transparent and participatory.
Regarding the expansion of TCB's activities, he mentioned that TCB purchases products worth a total of Tk 12,000 crore, with a government subsidy of Tk 4,500 crore. As a significant buyer, TCB intends to connect more traders to its procurement activities. He noted, "If we can save Tk 1,000 crore from the purchase of Tk 12,000 crore of products, we will be able to deliver TCB's products to more beneficiaries at affordable prices."
Addressing the potato market, Sheikh Bashiruddin said that, based on this year's experience, the government will store potatoes for the next year. Initiatives are being taken to store both imported and domestically produced potatoes, ensuring that potato prices will be under control in the future.
A customer holding a Smart Family Card can purchase 2 litres of edible oil for Tk 200, 2 kg of lentils for Tk 120, and 1 kg of sugar for Tk 70.
TCB Chairman Brigadier General Md Mustafa Iqbal spoke at the event, and the newly appointed TCB Chairman Brigadier General Md Faisal Azad was also present.
