Dhaka: The government has approved significant procurement proposals to stabilise the market ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The approvals include the purchase of one crore litres of refined soybean oil and 10,000 metric tonnes of lentils, as well as 75,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser. These decisions were made during the 4th meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan briefed reporters after the meeting, outlining the details of the procurement. The lentils are to be procured from KBC Agro Products Private Limited, a local company, while the soybean oil will be sourced from Super Refinery Limited and Shabnam Vegetable Oil Industries Ltd, with an estimated combined cost of Tk 70.96 crore. The committee also approved the procurement of the soybean oil at an estimated cost of Tk 185.92 crore, with half of the supply coming from each of the two oil refineries.
The meeting further approved proposals from the Ministries of Industries and Agriculture to purchase fertilisers to support agricultural production. This includes 40,000 metric tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited in the UAE, costing Tk 201.22 crore, and 35,000 metric tonnes of MOP fertiliser from Russia’s JSC Prodintorg, costing Tk 151.56 crore. The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation will oversee the importation of these fertilisers.
Additionally, in alignment with the government’s Blue Economy initiative, the committee approved a proposal from the Ministry of Science and Technology for the procurement of one research vessel and two speedboats. This Tk 161.71 crore proposal aims to aid the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute in sample collection and research, with Khulna Shipyard Limited as the supplier.
The committee also gave the green light to reprocess a procurement proposal aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and industrial growth. This involves a major road project connecting the districts of Lakshmipur, Noakhali, and Feni with the National Special Economic Zone.