The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is set stock five Ramadan essentials in an effort to help ensure smooth supply of those items during the upcoming fasting month beginning in July, said officials yesterday.
The five items, demand for which generally peaks during Ramadan, are edible oil, sugar and lentil, gram/chickpeas and dates.
Although TCB officials did not mention anything over the quantity of the stock to be accumulated, they said the dealers will get the uninterrupted supply of the essentials as per their requirement during the holy month.
“There had been no problem over the last two years. There’ll be no problem this year, too,” said TCB Chairman Brig Gen Sarwar Jahan Talukdar.
Saying TCB was preparing to keep up the success of the last two years, he also added: “Stocks are being built up… products are coming gradually. There’ll be no crisis.”
Asked about the prices of the essentials to be provided by the TCB, the chairman said they would fix the prices in consultation with the Commerce Ministry.
“We’ll fix the prices 15-20 days ahead of Ramadan.”
TCB spokesperson M Humayun Kabir said there is already an adequate stock of edible oil, sugar and lentil in the market right now.
“Gram/chickpea and date (imported) will arrive here by May 10-12 and the first week of next month respectively,” he said.
Responding to a question, he said the TCB will release the five Ramadan essentials to the market in three phases.
“The first instalment will be released 15 days before the Ramadan starts, the second instalment in the first week of Ramadan while the third instalment will be released in the middle of Ramadan,” Kabir added.
He said some 174 open trucks will remain engaged in selling the TCB essentials across the country.