Rice Distribution At TCB Truck Halted, Chattogram Residents Left Empty-Handed

Local Correspondent

Residents of Chattogram’s Ambagan area stood in line early in the morning on December 17, hoping to buy rice from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB). Farida Akhter, after performing the Fajr prayer, arrived at the truck station but was disappointed to find that no rice was available, despite other essential goods like oil and lentils being sold.

“We came together as a group. I went home once and returned to buy oil and lentils, but there was no rice. The truck staff told us there was no rice, only oil and lentils,” she said.

Mubarak, a sales officer from TCB, confirmed that no rice is being distributed. They sell whatever goods are available until stocks last.

Across various TCB truck sale points in Chattogram, people from all age groups were seen lining up from the early hours. Some arrived as early as 5 a.m., but not everyone managed to buy products. Since December 1, TCB trucks have stopped distributing rice.

Shafiqul Islam, TCB’s deputy director for Chattogram, stated that they rely on rice supplied by the Food Department. However, due to a lack of rice supplies, distribution has ceased.

Contradicting this, Sumaiya Naznin, Chattogram’s district food controller, assured that there is no rice shortage and that the Food Department is ready to supply rice once TCB submits the request.

Reports suggest that rice stocks in government warehouses have dwindled by half, prompting the government to rely heavily on imports. In addition to regular imports from India, rice is now being sourced from Myanmar. Some experts fear this rice crisis may signal the onset of a food shortage.

In Chattogram’s Cheragi Hill, TCB products are sold on Saturdays and Tuesdays, while they are sold on Mondays and Thursdays at Jamal Khan. Across the city, TCB products are sold at 20 different points twice a week.

Abdul Quddus, TCB’s assistant director for Chattogram, mentioned that 400 customers are served at each point daily, allowing 8,000 people to buy TCB goods every day. Despite the increasing demand, the number of products allocated per truck has been raised from 350 to 400, yet it still doesn’t meet the demand.

On Tuesday, when the truck arrived at Cheragi Hill at 11 a.m., there was a 40-minute delay before sales began as workers first packed the lentils.

Sumit De, a customer, explained, “The oil is cheaper than at the market, and the lentils are good quality. So, people stand in line for 4-5 hours trying to save some money. It would be better if they had rice too.”

In the long line, many people, including elderly family members, were seen sitting exhausted on the pavement, while others left to return home, leaving other family members behind to wait.

Mossadek Hossain, another customer at Jamal Khan, explained, “Earlier, products were only distributed with a family card, and no one without one could buy. Now, there’s no need for a card, so the line has grown longer. Not everyone can buy, and the trucks often arrive late. Sometimes, people don’t even know which day the truck will come, so they come back on other days and leave without buying.”

The new system of selling TCB goods without a family card began on October 24, 2023, and while initially planned to end on November 30, it was extended due to rising demand.

According to Abdul Quddus, initially, each customer could buy two liters of oil at 100 Taka per liter, two kilograms of lentils at 60 Taka per kg, and five kilograms of rice at 30 Taka per kg. However, rice distribution was stopped from December 1.

Shafiqul Islam, deputy director of TCB Chattogram, confirmed that they have not received rice from the Food Department since December, despite requesting 1,000 tons.

On the other hand, Sumaiya Naznin, Chattogram’s district food controller, denied any rice shortage. “We have sufficient rice in stock. If TCB submits a demand letter, we will supply rice. However, we haven’t received any such request yet. There seems to be some miscommunication,” she clarified.

According to the food controller, if 1,000 tons of rice were allocated, it would be enough to supply rice at Chattogram’s 20 points for nearly a month.