Staff Correspondent

The government approved on Thursday separate proposals for procuring fertilizer, 55 lakh litres of soybean oil and 8,000 metric tons of lentil to meet the growing demand of the country.

The approvals came from the 32nd meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in this year held today virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting virtually, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan said that the day's meeting approved a total of 17 proposals.

He informed that following a proposal from the Ministry of Industries, the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) would procure some 25,000 metric tons of rock phosphate from M/s Desh Trading Corporation (main supplier: M/s Zentrade, FZE, the UAE) with Taka 88.76 crore. The price of per ton phosphate would be $334.77 from the previous rate of $380.

Mahbub said that the BCIC would procure some 30,000 metric tons of bulk granular fertilizer from Muntajat, Qatar under the 9th lot under state-level agreement with around Taka 198.62 crore with the price of per ton fertilizer costing $626.67 down from the previous price of $632.

The BCIC would purchase another 30,000 metric tons of bulk granular fertilizer under the 3rd lot from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited, UAE with around Taka 198.62 crore and another consignment of 30,000 metric tons of bulk granular fertilizer under the 4th lot from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited, UAE with around Taka 198.62 crore.

Besides, Mahbub informed that the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) under the Ministry of Agriculture would procure some 25,000 metric tons of TSP form a Tunisian company with around Taka 148.65 crore. Per ton fertilizer would cost $562.5 against the previous price of $704.25.

The Cabinet Division Additional Secretary said that the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) would procure some 8,000 metric tons of lentil with around Taka 68.78 crore where per ton lentil would cost $859. The price of per KG lentil would be Taka 85.99.

The TCB would also procure some 55 lakh litres of soybean oil with around Taka 89.61 crore with per litre soybean oil costing Taka 162.94 from the previous price of Taka 171.85.

Following a proposal from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, the works under the package number WD-1, WD-2 and WD-4 under the project for establishing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre, Rangpur has been awarded to the M.g. Jamal and Company Ltd with around Taka 121.18 crore.

Besides, the meeting approved a proposal from the Road Transport and Highways Division under which the package number WP-01 under the project for upgrading Kumargaon-Badaghat-Airport road into four-lane would be implemented by Spectra Engineers Ltd with around Taka 439.64 crore.

Apart from this, the meeting gave nod to a proposal for appointing Egis India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd as consultant with around Taka 111.44 crore for the Upgradation of Mongla Port project to be implemented by the Mongla Port Authority.