24/06/2013 (Daily Star Online) - Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will start selling edible oil, pulse, sugar and chickpea in open market from tomorrow to ensure smooth supply of essentials during Ramadan.

“TCB products will be available in open market from Sunday,” TCB Chairman Brig Gen Sarwar Jahan Talukdar told UNB yesterday.

He said the TCB would release certain essentials for its listed dealers across the country in three instalments.

“It is also a part of our Ramadan plan. The first instalment will be released on Monday while another in the middle of Ramadan,” the TCB chief said.

The essentials would be sold through TCB’s sales centres in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal and Sylhet, TCB sources said.

Anyone can buy soybean oil at Tk 121 and Tk 105 per litre from the sales centres.

Palm oil will be sold at Tk 75 per litre while sugar at Tk 44 per kg, pulse at Tk 70 per kg and chickpea at Tk 60 per kg.

Over 170 trucks will remain engaged in selling the essentials across the country, TCB sources said.

Some 1,000 kg sugar, 200 kg pulse and chickpea, 200 litres of soybean oil will be sold from each truck everyday.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry has put a ban on export of green chilli, eggplant, cucumber and coriander leaf to ensure their smooth supply in local market during Ramadan.

Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said the order on banning their export would come seven days ahead of Ramadan.

The ban may continue for at least a month as the demand for these essentials goes up during Ramadan, the ministry sources said.