Pangs of low-income earners

Price hike of TCB goods, fuel oils

Golam Mostafa Jibon: Continuous price hike of essential commodities including TCB (Trading Corporation of Baladesh) goods has caused of pangs to the poor and low income group of people even after huge stocks.
In the meantime, the price hike of fuel oils has become another concern for all walks of life as it may force to go up the prices of all products for the one more time.
Sources said, the prices of essential commodities in the market are not coming under control in anyway due to lack of proper monitoring. The prices of most commodities including rice, oil, sugar, pulses and vegetables are increasing every day. In this situation, middle class and low income people rely on Trading Corporation of Baladesh (TCB). But this time, TCB has too increased the price of the products. As a result, poor and low-income group of people have become worried.
According to TCB sources, TCB is selling daily commodities in the open market through trucks at 400 to450 places across the country including 100 places in the capital. Except occasional breaks, TCB continues its sales activities in open trucks with some daily necessities. This activity will continue till November 28 except Friday. A buyer can buy a maximum of two liters of soybean oil, two kg of sugar, two kg of pulses and two and a half kg of onion from a TCB truck. This time, regular buyers of TCB products have expressed their displeasure over the increase in the price of the products and stopping the sale of onions. They said, we used to stand in line for hours to buy TCB products because we could get the goods with a little bit of lower prices. Now TCB has increased the price of oil and pulses. It has now become cause of suffering to us.
Jasim Uddin, who stood in line to buy goods in a TCB truck at Rampura area in the capital yesterday, said, “I used to stand in the sun for two or three hours to buy goods from the TCB truck, because of it was little cheaper than the market prices. Today, I hear that the price of oil and pulses has increased. Moreover, TCB has also been stopped supplying of onions too since now.
Another consumer of Mughda area Bilkis Rani said that the price of onion is Tk 58 to Tk 60 in the market. I got a kg of onion from here at a cost of Tk 30. I could get two litres of oil at Tk 200.
Now, the price of oil has gone up. Two liters of Soyabean oil is now being sold at Tk 220. Besides, there is no supply of onion again.
While talking, Sarwar Hossain, Owner of Meher Enterprise, who was selling TCB goods on a truck under the open sky in front of Mughda General Hospital said, “We sell the goods, how the TCB authorities direct us to sell. The price of pulses has increased by Tk 5 per kg and oil by Tk 10 per liter. Although the onion is closed for the time being, TCB has said that the sale of onion will start again after 10-15 days.
Bulbul Hossain, a rickshaw puller who came to buy goods in a TCB truck in front of Taltola Bazar in the capital said, it will cost more Tk 30 more to buy two liters of oil and two kg of pulses compared to previous time.
TCB senior executive Humayun Kabir said, “TCB is selling its products through distributors in the open market in 400 to 450 trucks across the country including 100 places in Dhaka. But, many people, who are forced to buy goods from market, are the worst sufferers due to price hike of all commodities due to lack of proper monitoring. If the monitoring system is beefed up, consumers will be benefited.”