The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the state-run marketing agency, has charted an ambitious procurement plan worth nearly BDT 8,000 crore for the ongoing 2026-27 fiscal year to keep prices of essential commodities stable. Along with edible oil, red lentils, and sugar, the agency will also procure chickpeas and dates.
Initially, TCB plans to source approximately half of these goods from the domestic market and the remainder from international suppliers. However, foreign procurement may increase if global market bids prove to be more competitive and reliable.
Brigadier General Mohammad Faisal Azad, Chairman of TCB, revealed the details in a recent interview with the national news agency BSS.
“If sourcing from the international market proves to be more competitive and dependable, we may scale up our imports from abroad,” Brigadier General Azad stated.
Sources within the Ministry of Commerce confirmed that TCB framed the comprehensive procurement plan to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of essential goods. Under this strategy, TCB intends to purchase:
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Edible Oil: 22 crore liters
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Red Lentils: 220,000 metric tons
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Sugar: 110,000 metric tons
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Chickpeas: 14,000 metric tons
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Dates: 4,400 metric tons
To ensure seamless distribution and prevent supply crunches, TCB actively tracks monthly demand, allocations, warehouse stocks, and pipeline inventory.
The agency is also expanding its storage logistics. TCB currently operates 40 warehouses with a total capacity of approximately 48,370 metric tons—13,371 metric tons across 9 self-owned facilities and 34,999 metric tons across 31 rented locations.
Characterizing TCB’s existing stock levels as satisfactory for ongoing relief distribution, Chairman Faisal Azad emphasized that procurement and inventory management are being tightened to cushion consumers who rely on subsidized state assistance.
Concurrently, TCB is working to reduce its dependence on government subsidies. The agency plans to buy items at competitive rates and sell select products at a slight margin to offset operational subsidy costs.
“The government is working to transform TCB into a more agile organization capable of responding rapidly to market fluctuations, while expanding its role in curbing price hikes and stabilizing the market,” Azad noted.
He added that TCB supplies roughly 250,000 metric tons of edible oil annually—representing around 15 percent of total national demand, with an even higher effective market share among household consumers. Similarly, TCB supplies a substantial portion of household demand for lentils and sugar, helping to check abnormal price spikes.
The state agency is also diversifying its product portfolio. Alongside oil, lentils, and sugar, TCB has initiated pilot sales of soap, detergent, and salt. Future expansions aim to include flour, various spices, chili powder, and turmeric.
“These additional items will be supplied below regular market rates, but without requiring direct government subsidies,” Azad explained.
On distribution coverage, around 8 million TCB smart cards have been approved, with nearly 7.5 million already handed out to beneficiaries. The remaining targeted families are expected to receive their smart cards ahead of the upcoming Holy Eid-ul-Fitr.
