Govt to double TCB services

The Ministry of Commerce has drafted a plan to double the storage capacity and services of the Trading Commission of Bangladesh (TCB) to ensure easy and affordable access to essentials for low-income groups.

Four new warehouses are being set up in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rangpur and Sylhet in this regard. The warehouses will be operational by December 2022.

Besides, the ministry also plans to double the services provided by TCB.

Currently, the corporation sells soybean oil, lentil and sugar through 350 trucks across the country, which will be increased to 450 trucks on August 10, according to TCB.

From September, they will start selling onion at a subsidised rate.

Every year during Ramadan, the corporation also sells gram lentil and dates along with its general products.

According to the TCB, the government body provided services to around 3.35 crore people in FY2020-21 and plans a 10 per cent increase in FY2021-22.

In FY2020-21, subsidy on essentials provided by TCB was more than Tk 431 crore, which is five times higher than the previous fiscal at Tk 82.2 crore. Of the Tk 431 crore, subsidy for onion was Tk 137 crore, according to the commerce ministry.

In 2018, the corporation delivered its services through 187 trucks, but in 2021 it was increased to 500 trucks to take its services to all major cities, districts and upazilas in the country.

“Once upon a time, TCB sold essentials only during the holy month of Ramadan or during a crisis period, but now they sell products throughout the year. Their capacity will soon be doubled and its fleet of trucks will be expanded to more than 600,” Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi told The Business Post.

In November 2019, the government tasked TCB to start open market sale of onion after the price of the commodity skyrocketed following a ban on export by India.

However, due to lack of adequate storage space, manpower and low number of trucks, TCB was not able to provide its services to its best in all major cities, including the capital and its adjourning areas.

TCB officials said that the corporation continues to suffer from lack of resources and were finding it hard to satisfy the needs and wants of its customers.

As there are few TCB trucks available in the capital, many people return empty handed even after standing in long queues for hours as stocks quickly runs out after the sales begin every day.

TCB claimed they provide products to 100 to 120 trucks from the warehouse in Tejgaon but it is not enough.

To ease the pressure, TCB tried and failed to rent a warehouse with at least 20,000 square feet of space in Uttara.

Talking to The Business Post, TCB Chairman Brigadier General Ariful Hasan said steps were being taken to build TCB’s own warehouse in Uttara.

“Now, we are building a warehouse on our own land on a temporary basis and the foundation work has already begun,” he said.

Besides, the commerce ministry has allocated Tk 24.95 crore to build warehouses in Chittagong, Rangpur and Sylhet, which are now under construction.

According to the commerce ministry, the Chittagong warehouse will be used as a buffer and Uttara centre will only supply the sales trucks.

TCB expects a radical change in its services after completing these new storage centres.

“But the problem is, we are facing a manpower crisis. Although we want to double our services, but we are yet to find the required manpower,” the TCB chairman added.