The government on Wednesday approved separate proposals for procuring some 1.70 lakh tonnes of fertiliser and 10,000 tonnes of lentil to meet the growing demand of the country.
The approvals came from the 11th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase in this year held at the Cabinet Division conference room at Bangladesh secretariat with finance minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in the chair. Abul Hassan chaired the meeting virtually as he was infected with Covid-19.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Division secretary (coordination and reforms) Md Mahmudul Hossain Khan said that the day鈥檚 meeting approved a total of 19 proposals.
Of the approved proposals, one was from the Ministry of Commerce, two from the Ministry of Agriculture, one from the Secondary and Higher Education Division, five each from the Ministry of Industries, Power Division, four from the Local Government Division and one from the Ministry of Railways.
He said that following a proposal from the Ministry of Commerce, the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh would procure 10,000 metric tonnes of lentil locally by open tender method from Ease General Trading, Dhaka and Nabil Naba Food Products Ltd, Dhaka with around Tk 101.94 crore with per kg lentil costing Tk 101.94.
Following two separate proposals from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation would procure some 40,000 metric tonnes of MOP fertiliser under the 1st lot from Canadian Commercial Corporation, Canada with around Tk 125.40 crore with per tonne fertiliser costing $327.75.
The BADC in another proposal will procure 40,000 metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser from MA鈥橝DEN, Saudi Arabia under a state-level agreement with around Tk 228.36 crore with per ton fertiliser costing $554.
Following separate proposals from the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation would procure 30,000 metric tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Muntajat, Qatar, under the 13th lot with around Tk 92.29 crore with per tonne fertiliser costing $282.50.
In another consignment, the BCIC will procure 30,000 metric tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia with around Tk 91.13 crore with per tonne fertiliser costing $288.33 while the BCIC in another consignment would purchase 30,000 metric tonnes of bagged granular urea fertiliser with around Tk 95.93 crore where per tonne fertiliser would cost $366.375.
Md Mahmudul Hossain Khan said that the day鈥檚 CCGP meeting approved another proposal from the Ministry of Industries under which four buffer warehouses would be constructed in four districts 鈥� Jaipurhat (15,000 metric tonnes), Sirajganj (20,000 metric tonnes), Lalmonirhat (10,000 metric tonnes) and Dinajpur (20,000 metric tonnes) of the country.
The four buffer warehouses will be constructed under the 1st revised project for the construction of some 34 buffer warehouses in different parts of the country for the preservation of fertiliser and its distribution.
He said that the day鈥檚 meeting also approved a proposal from the Ministry of Railways under which Tk 177.48 crore cost variation has been made for the 1st revised project for procurement of 20-meter gauge diesel-electric locomotives and 150-meter gauge passenger carriages.
He informed that with the unused loan amount from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, some 35 more meter gauge carriages would be procured with zero interest rate for which the DPP of the project would be recast.
