The advisory council committee on government purchase on Tuesday approval a number of proposals including procurement of 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat from the United States and 50,000 tonens of non-basmati rice from India.
Presided over by finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed at secretariat, the committee also approved import of fertiliser from Saudi Arabia, Canada and China.
The finance adviser told reporters after the meeting that the Ministry of Food would import 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat from the US through a government-to-government arrangement.
The total cost for the wheat import has been estimated at Tk聽825.31 crore, with the price per tonne at $308.
US Wheat Associates-authorized firm Agrocorp International Pte Ltd will supply the wheat.
Earlier in July, the same committee approved import of same amount of wheat from the US in line with a memorandum of understanding signed between two countries on import 7 lakh tonnes of wheat annually for the next five years.
The import of 50,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice from India has been made under the international open tender method by the Directorate General of Food under the Ministry of Food.
Indian supplier Bagadiya Brothers Private Ltd won the supply bid quoting Tk聽219.09 crore with the price of per tonne of rice fixed at $359.77.
The finance adviser said they were alert regarding the country鈥簊 rice situation and importing the non-basmati boiled rice from India and wheat from the US to strengthen the buffer.
The rice import is partly aimed at building reserves so that domestic procurement or production does not fall short, he said.
Having a government buffer stock is always better, as private stocks alone may not stabilise the market, he said.
Under the Ministry of Industries, an approval was given to import 30,000聽 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia at a cost of Tk聽159.99 crore.
The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation will import 40,000 tonnes each of Dianomia Phosphate fertiliser from Banyan International Trading Limited, China at Tk 376.38 crore, and from MA鈥篈DEN, Saudi Arabia at Tk 383.84 crore.
It will also import 40,000 tonnes of Muriate of Potash fertiliser from Canadian Commercial Corporation of Canada at Tk聽174.42 crore.