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The Ministry of commerce has asked the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) to expand its activities
with a view to creating a positive impact on the price situation in the local market.
The ministry in a decision directed the TCB to raise the quantity of sugar to five kilograms from one kg for
selling to a person, sources said.
The quantity of onion and others two products -- gram and pulse -- has also been increased.
The directives came during a meeting of a high-powered committee on market price at the commerce
ministry, the sources added.
Besides, the meeting resolved to add ten more trucks to the existing fleet and raise the number of Ansar and
Village Defence Police (VDP) men engaged with the existing operational unit.
The new measures are likely to be effective from the next week.
Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhry presided over the meeting that noted that the price situation in
the local market was showing a downward trend.
The price situation will further improve if the activities of the TCB are expanded, the meeting was told.
However, market analysts said the operation of the TCB did not have much impact on the price situation. Its
operation, however, could discourage fresh price hike of essential commodities excepting vegetables, they
added.
The meeting has also decided to examine the possibility of selling lentil and sugar through the Open Market
Sale (OMS) system. The relief and disaster ministry has been asked to give its opinion on the matter.
The government has already selected 33 specific locations of the capital city and marketed four essential
commodities through the TCB.
The TCB is running the operation in 10 zones of the city from 10am to 3:00pm, six-days-a-week, by trucks.
The operation remains suspended on Friday.
The analysts have termed the move 'positive, but inadequate' against the prevailing volatile price situation.
The TCB activities, which were suspended in 2002, resumed on a limited scale last week to rein in the
soaring prices of essentials during the Ramadan.
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