The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) started its truck sale of some key essential commodities at subsidised rates across the country, including the capital, on Sunday, targeting 10 million low-income families on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
However, many consumers in Dhaka on Sunday claimed that they were forced to buy rotten onions supplied by TCB trucks while purchasing oil, sugar and lentils.
People purchased products from TCB trucks at 149 points in the two Dhaka city corporations on Sunday.
"Dealers are selling two kgs of sugar, two litres of cook-oil, two kgs of lentil and three kgs of onion in a package at Tk 550 to us," said Md Obayed, a rickshaw puller in the Mohammadpur area.
"More than half of the onions supplied by the TCB dealers are rotten. We could collect a maximum of 1.5 kgs of fresh onion from this 3.0 kg packet worth Tk 90…," he said.
According to the TCB's website, onions are being sold at Tk 35-50 a kg based on quality.
Every TCB truck dealer in the capital was selling 1,000 kgs of onion per day.
Recognising the problem over onion, TCB spokesperson Humayun Kabir said the product was decided to be imported while prices of onion increased notably in the local market.
Some of the items might have been wasted, but TCB is providing double the volume to the dealers so that they could deliver consumers additional amounts in order to adjust the price, he said.
He said onion sales would be stopped with the end of the present stock within March 30.
"Onion will not be given outside the capital," said Humayun, in response to a question.
Excluding the capital city, people across the country are collecting oil, sugar, and lentils by showing family cards, provided through local government representatives and administration.
TCB's 'mission 10 million' will be conducted in two phases across the country through family cards which have already been delivered to the beneficiaries.
TCB said a total of 5.71 million families across the country have been given cards anew, while 3.0 million families, who were enlisted for the government's Covid-19 safety net programme, would also be given the subsidised products.
A total of 1.2 million families will be benefited by the truck sale of the TCB within the areas of Dhaka's two city corporations while 0.09 million people in Barishal division have been enlisted for the facility.
Edible oil, sugar and lentils will be sold in the first phase of the sales programme that will continue across the country until March 30 while the second phase will start on April 03 and continue until April 20.
Chickpea will be added in the second phase with edible oil, sugar and lentils.
The government has taken the programme to keep prices of essentials stable during the upcoming Ramadan in the mainstream market.
A family is able to buy a maximum of two kgs of sugar, two kgs of lentil, two litres of soybean oil and one kg of gram from the TCB sale points.
Soybean oil is being sold at Tk 110 per litre, sugar at Tk55 per kg, lentil at Tk 65 per kg and gram at Tk50 per kg.
However, edible oil prices are still high in the mainstream market as it is now selling at Tk 160-170 a litre, coarse lentil is retailing at Tk 105-115 a kg and sugar at Tk 80-90 a kg, according to market insiders.
This year, the TCB sales will be coordinated in the district, upazila and union parishad levels by the local administration, including deputy commissioners (DCs) and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs), following the list of beneficiaries.
