Dhaka, Dec. 18 -- The government has issued three state guarantees totalling Tk 5.80 billion in favour of Sonali Bank to facilitate the procurement of essential commodities by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), sources said.

The state-run TCB under the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) is set to procure significant volumes of essential items to help keep the local market stable

The products include 5,000 tonnes of lentils (local tender), 22 million liters of palm olein (through local tender), and 25,000 tonnes of sugar (through international tender), official sources said.

The TCB has initiated the move as part of the government's ongoing efforts to maintain a steady supply of essential items and control market prices through the st...