Amid the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in the country, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh is likely start open market sale of rice at Tk 10 a kg for the low-income people in Dhaka, people familiar with the matter said. Unusually the government sells rice for five months at a subsidized price of Tk 10 outside the capital while low-income people, mostly daily laborers, in Dhaka buy it at Tk 30 a kg.
According to sources, the government allotted an additional Tk 163 crore to sell 90000 tonne of rice to lower-income group. A top official at the finance ministry said, “The large allocation of food subsidy can be used to sell rice (a cheap price). The government sells rice at Tk 10 a kg in rural area which can be introduced in Dhaka for low-income people in the prevailing situations,” said the official, who wished to go unnamed.
To control the prices, the food ministry supervises the OMS progamme. Before the coronavirus outbreaks, coarse rice was sold at Tk 28 to Tk 34 a kg which is now at Tk 40 to Tk 45 per kg. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a televised speech on Wednesday said the government will continue to sell rice at 10 a kg to the low- earning people.
A nationwide shutdown is underway and all government and private offices are closed for nearly two weeks as part of the governments’ effort to stem the spared of coronavirus in the country, causing immense miseries to low-income people.
