The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will sell certain essential commodities at subsidised rates to low-income people through mobile trucks during Ramadan.

An additional 9,000 tonnes of goods will be sold through this initiative,  said Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin while inaugurating the mobile truck sales of essentials by TCB in Khulna.

TCB, the state-run entity, supplies products to 63 lakh families at subsidised rates.

The truck sale programme will continue for an additional 12 lakh families until the end of Ramadan, which will help stabilise prices, he said.

Following the directive of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, TCB started selling key commodities at below-market rates to 12 lakh families across 13 areas, including all divisional headquarters and five poverty-stricken regions.

Each buyer will receive two litres of soybean oil, two kilogrammes each of lentils and chickpeas, one kilogramme of sugar, and 500 grammes of dates per transaction, according to a commerce ministry press release.

Prices have been set at Tk 100 per litre for oil, Tk 70 per kg for sugar, Tk 60 per kg for lentils and chickpeas, and Tk 156 for dates.

The adviser highlighted Khulna's success in smart card conversions, adding that the remaining card activations will be completed by February 24, increasing the number of beneficiaries.