Students Join TCB Line to Save on Rising Prices

As the cost of living continues to rise in Bangladesh, students are increasingly finding themselves in difficult situations, along with the country’s lower and middle-income populations. In Dhaka, students living in hostels are now joining the lines at the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) truck sales to buy products at lower prices.

At Lakshmibazar in Old Dhaka, students from various colleges and universities were seen waiting in long lines to buy TCB products alongside daily wage workers.

The TCB organizes truck sales at 50 locations across Dhaka, where products are sold without the need for family cards. Each truck has enough goods for about 350 people, but the demand often exceeds the available stock, leaving many customers without products.

At these truck sales, consumers can purchase items like cooking oil for 100 taka per liter, lentils for 60 taka per kilogram, rice for 30 taka per kilogram, and potatoes for 40 taka per kilogram. Together, these four items can be bought for 590 taka, compared to nearly 1,000 taka in retail markets—savings of at least 400 taka.

A student from Jagannath University, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We live together in a hostel, and due to financial constraints, we’re all looking for ways to cut costs. In our hostel meeting, we decided that once a week, someone will stand in line at TCB. Today, it was my turn. I skipped class and stood in line for an hour and a half to buy our hostel’s groceries.”

He added, “We urge the interim government to control prices and ensure that products reach the common people. Otherwise, it will be even more difficult for students from rural areas to continue their studies.”

Hasan, another student from Jagannath University, shared, “The prices of essential goods haven’t changed much since the government’s fall, and some items have even gone up. Buying from the market is now tough, so we’ve all decided to buy from the TCB trucks.”

Enamul Haque, a student from Kabi Nazrul College, said, “In the past, we could buy three meals a day at the hostel for 3,000 taka, but now even 4,000 taka isn’t enough. We’re able to get oil and onions at more affordable prices through TCB, so now we’ve all decided to buy from the TCB trucks at least twice a week to save some money.”