Business Drive to Tame Prices Suffer SetbackInferior quality essentials sold thru TCB dealers→ Zahid Hossain Biplob KHULNA: The government move to tame the prices of essential commodities ahead and during Ramadan faces a setback as the items being sold in south-western region through TCB dealers are of inferior quality, locals alleged. The state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) started selling of the items like soybean and palm oil, sugar, lentils, and gram in order to keep prices of those at the tolerable levels for the common people. A total of 535 dealers were appointed by the TCB, Bazlur Rashid, TCB’s Khulna regional chief told this correspondent. According to the official, adequate quantity of goods were imported to fulfill the demand of the commoners this year. Each dealer was allowed to sell one tonne to 5 tonnes of sugar, 1.5 tonnes of gram, half to 1.2 tonnes of lentils, 400 liters to 1000 liters of soybean oil, 200 liters of palm oil and date as per their will. Soybean oil is being sold at Tk 121 per liter, sugar at Tk 44 per kilogram, lentil at Tk 70 per kilogram and gram at Tk 60 per kilogram. Official sources said TCB stocked sufficient volume of essential items like sugar, pulse, gram, date and palm oil through imports from Canada, Australia, Turkey and India and Iraq last year to meet the demand during the coming Ramadan. But the commoners alleged that sub-standard items, which are injurious to health, were being sold at the sales centres. But the sellers said those were supplied by the government. Besides, the items sold at the centres were less in weight, the buyers complained. This correspondent while visiting Jhenidah on July 1 found that low quality sugar packed in polythene were being sold by the dealers which were less in mass and also of sub-standard in quality. Poor people were seen buying these items. While asked, the sellers attributed that there were some problems with the measurement but this will be solved. While contacted Iqramul Haque, proprietor of Iqram Traders in Jhenidah, also a dealer of TCB said that he lodged a complaint with Deputy Commissioner (DC) about inferior quality of sugar and date. He cautioned us not to give less in weight. “I am trying to sell some items, even at prices lower than purchasing rates to avoid any conflict with buyers and also to protect my investment,” he added. While asked, Shafiqul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Jhenidah said that the dealers made allegations about inferior quality of sugar and dates but we have nothing to do. Shankar Kumar Das, proprietor of Shankar Traders, also a dealer of TCB in Meherpur told daily sun that to avoid any loss like in the past, he did not collect goods from TCB as the items were inferior and the rates were as same as those in the open market. Abu Bakar Siddik swapan, proprietor of Mamoni Traders at Shaliha upazila under Magura informed that he did not collect essentials due to inferior quality. Many of the dealers refused to collect TCB supplied commodities this season due to inferior quality, he added. According to a reliable source of the TCB, many of these items were imported even 2-3 years back and kept in a weight and dam floor in an abandoned silo of Khulna PWD. The source further informed that the same thing happened in 2011 when seven tonnes of dates had remained unsold for its inferior quality. In 2012, the TCB suffered huge loss as the dates worth over Tk 31 lakh were damaged in the silo.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 08:06:42 +0000
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