Import of fertiliser, rice, sugar gets govt nod
The approvals came from a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room in the Secretariat, with Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair
The government today (12 November) approved separate proposals for procuring 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser, 1.20 crore litres of soybean oil, 50,000 tonnes of boiled rice, and 12,500 tonnes of sugar to meet the country's growing demand.
The approvals came from a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room in the Secretariat, with Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, the finance adviser stated that regular matters were discussed at the Purchase Committee meeting. "The government has decided to import sugar as the holy month of Ramadan is approaching," he said.
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"We've also decided to import soybean oil, although there isn't exactly a shortage… the market is stable now," he added.
The day's meeting recommended approval of nine procurement proposals involving several key ministries, including Agriculture, Commerce, Industries, Local Government, and the Chief Adviser's Office.
The Committee also approved the import of 40,000 tonnes of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser under the 8th (optional–2nd) lot through a state-level agreement between OCP Nutricrops, Morocco, and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) under the Ministry of Agriculture.
The total cost for this procurement is approximately Tk348.42 crore, with a per-tonne price of Tk709.33.
The Committee further recommended approval for the import of 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia, at a total cost of approximately Tk195.43 crore, with a per-tonne price of $399.16.
Two major food-related procurements were also endorsed.
These include the purchase of 12,500 tonnes of refined sugar at a total cost of Tk78.26 crore (Tk94.94 per kg) from Bay Galata Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Istanbul, and 1.20 crore litres of soybean oil from CredentOne FZCO, Dubai, at Tk158.87 crore (Tk164.21 per litre).
In the food sector, the Ministry of Food received approval to import 50,000 tonnes (+5%) of boiled rice under international tender for Tk217.09 crore from Agrocorp International Pte Ltd, Singapore, at a per-tonne price of $355.59.
The Local Government Division secured approval for infrastructure projects, including two road development packages under the Haor Region Elevated Road and Physical Infrastructure Development Project in Sunamganj district—one in Tahirpur upazila at Tk180.64 crore and another in Dharmapasha upazila at Tk190.90 crore.
The Road Transport and Highways Division received approval for a Tk78.61 crore work package for upgrading the Chaturi (Chowmuhani)–CUFL–Karnaphuli Dry Dock–Fakirnirhat (N-121) Highway under the Chattogram South Road Division, to be implemented by Taher Brothers Ltd as the responsive bidder.
Finally, under the Chief Adviser's Office, the Committee endorsed a proposal to procure consultancy services for the Bay Terminal Project under the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) from Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC) at a revised value of Tk32.44 crore (including VAT and tax), up from the previously approved Tk25.50 crore.
