TCB to begin sale of onions at Tk40 per kg from today

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) on Tuesday will begin the sale of onions imported from India at Tk40 per kilogram through open market sales (OMS) conducted involving trucks.

State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu will inaugurate the OMS programme at the TCB Bhaban in Karwan Bazar area around 10 am.

Md Humayun Kabir, head of TCB regional office and information officer, said this to reporters.

The OMS sale of onion will begin at 100 spots across the capital Dhaka, he said, adding that apart from it will be sold at 55 spots in Chattogram and 17 to 20 spots in Gazipur.

The initial consignment of 1,650 tonnes of onions, which arrived in the country from India on Sunday night, was currently being distributed to dealers in Dhaka and Chattogram.

Gholam Khorshed, additional director of the TCB, said 1,650 tons of onions on 42 wagons reached Sirajganj Bazar rail yard around 6 am on Monday and later, the unloading of the onions began around 9 am.

Out of the 1,650 tonnes of onions, 1,000 tonnes have already been allocated to 100 dealers in Dhaka district, while the remaining 650 tonnes were distributed among dealers in Gazipur and Chattogram, he said.

The government has undertaken an initiative to import onion from neighboring India when the prices of the important cooking items went up at an exorbitant level in the local market.