Dhaka: The government today approved several procurement proposals totaling hundreds of thousands of metric tons of essential goods to meet the country's growing demand. The approvals were granted during a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at Bangladesh Secretariat, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Finance Adviser informed that the government is set to import sugar in anticipation of the upcoming Holy Month of Ramadan. Despite the current stability in the market, the government also plans to import soybean oil. The meeting endorsed nine procurement proposals spanning multiple sectors, including agriculture, commerce, industries, and local government.
A significant outcome of the meeting was the approval of a proposal to import 40,000 metric tons of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizer through an agreement with OCP Nutricrops, Morocco, by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) under the Ministry of Agriculture. This procurement is estimated to cost Taka 348.42 crore, with each ton priced at US$ 709.33.
Additionally, the committee recommended importing 40,000 metric tons of bulk granular urea fertilizer from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company of Saudi Arabia at a cost of approximately Taka 195.43 crore, with a per-ton price of US$ 399.16.
The Ministry of Commerce received approval for two major food-related procurements, including 12,500 metric tons of refined sugar from Baygalata Danismanlik Hizmetleri A.S., Istanbul, at a cost of Taka 78.26 crore and 1.20 crore liters of soybean oil from Credentone FZCO, Dubai, costing Taka 158.87 crore.
The Food Ministry was granted approval to import 50,000 metric tons (+5%) of boiled rice under an international tender from M/S Agrocorp International Pte Ltd, Singapore, at a per-ton price of US$ 355.59, totaling Taka 217.09 crore.
Moreover, the Finance Adviser announced the committee's approval of a proposal from the Local Government Division for road construction projects in the haor areas of Sylhet Division. This includes two road development packages in Sunamganj district, with projects in Tahirpur and Dharmapasha upazilas costing Taka 180.64 crore and Taka 190.90 crore, respectively.
The meeting also sanctioned a proposal by the Road Transport and Highways Division for a Taka 78.61 crore project to upgrade the Chaturi (Chowmuhani)-CUFL-Karnaphuli Dry Dock-Fakirnirhat (N-121) Highway under the Chattogram South Road Division, to be executed by Taher Brothers Ltd.
Lastly, the Chief Adviser's Office saw the endorsement of a proposal to procure consultancy services for the Bay Terminal Project under the Chittagong Port Authority from Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC), with a revised contract value of Taka 32.44 crore.