Trade Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin said that five products will be added to the product list of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) from November. This product list includes tea, salt, detergent and two types of soap.
He said this at a meeting on the selection and activation of TCB beneficiaries at the conference room of the Ministry of Commerce at the Secretariat today (29 September 2025) at noon. The meeting was attended by administrators of Dhaka South City Corporation, Dhaka North City Corporation, Narayanganj City Corporation, Gazipur City Corporation, Additional Deputy Commissioners and Upazila Executive Officers of the surrounding districts of Dhaka.
The government provides a subsidy of about five thousand crore taka to run TCB’s activities. Stating that this creates a balance in market demand and supply, the trade advisor said, along with TCB’s ongoing sales activities, the five new products will provide some relief to the poor and at the same time play a role in controlling inflation.
The advisor said, the government is continuing its efforts to accelerate TCB’s activities. As responsible officials, you have to work proactively to select one crore beneficiaries correctly. You have to ensure that the poor are not left outside the social security net. If this can be done, Bangladesh will develop into a welfare-oriented state, he expressed hope.
He said, “It is my expectation that the TCB Smart Family Card reaches the real beneficiaries. Let them identify themselves as poor and helpless people in the issuance of cards, and they deserve the government’s cooperation.” At the same time, he called for ensuring visible progress in the selection of beneficiaries and activation of cards across the country, including city corporations, within the next one month.
Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said that identifying the right beneficiaries is coming to the fore as a major problem. In addition, the pace of the City Corporation’s activities is somewhat slow. Since the problem has been identified, I hope the work will be completed soon.
Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Ejaz, Additional Secretary Export of the Ministry of Commerce Md. Abdur Rahim Khan and Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) Chairman Brigadier General Mohammad Faisal Azad spoke at the event.
The latest information on TCB’s Smart Family Card was informed at the meeting. It said that the total number of active cards is currently 634,316. The number of cards awaiting activation is 349,454.
