Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has begun selling onion at 30 taka per kg from today (September 13) to keep the market stable as onion price doubled from 30 taka to 60 taka within the span of a week.
The state-run agency started the open sale of onion and some other essential items including lentil pulses, sugar and soybean oil at subsidised prices at different points in Dhaka and other parts of the country Sunday morning.
The sale will continue till October 1.
A press release sent earlier by TCB said, “amid the pandemic and flood that swept different parts of the country, TCB is selling three products—sugar, lentils and soya bean oil —at fair prices. From Sunday on TCB will sell onion at 30 taka per kg which will continue until October 1."
A buyer will be allowed to purchase maximum 2kg onion, 2kg sugar, 2kg lentils and 2 to 5 litres of soyabean oil at a time, said the press release.
TCB will charge 50 taka for one kg sugar and lentil while the price of oil will be 80 taka per litre. The open truck sale will be conducted by 275 dealers across the country.
In the face of turbulent onion market, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on September 8 said that government will import a record amount of onion this year as the price of onion is spiking day by day in local and Indian market too.
“Initiative has been taken to import a record amount of onion this year. We have seen the price of onion also to have increased in the Indian market. We wrote to NBR to drop 5% VAT from onion import and hope that it will be withdrawn,” said the commerce minister.
