Govt to procure 1.60 lakh tonnes fertiliser, 12,500 tonnes sugar

The government has approved separate proposals for procuring some 1.60 lakh tonnes of fertiliser and 12,500 tonnes of sugar to meet the growing demands of the country.

The approval came from the 33rd meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) this year held on Thursday virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

While briefing reporters virtually after the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayed Mahbub Khan informed that the day’s meeting approved a total of 12 proposals.

Following a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) would procure one lakh tonnes of Muriate of Potash (MOP) fertiliser from Belgrade at a cost of Tk 906.69 crore with per tonne MOP fertiliser costing $854, he said.

Mahbub said Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), under the Ministry of Industries, would procure some 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Muntajat, Qatar under the 10th lot at a cost of around Tk 201.75 crore. Import of per tonne fertiliser would cost $624.17 against the previous rate of $626.67.

The BCIC would procure another 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea fertiliser from KAFCO, Bangladesh under the eighth lot at a cost of around Tk 191.03 crore. The price of per tonne fertiliser would be $597.37 down from the previous price of $655.

The Cabinet Division additional secretary informed that the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) under the Ministry of Commerce would procure some 12,500 tonnes of sugar from Brazil involving a cost of Tk 65.98 crore.

JMI Export and Import Company would act as the local agent while the price of per tonne sugar would be $524.21.

Mahbub said following a proposal from the Road Transport and Highways Division, the package number SP-1 under the “SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development” Project has been awarded to the joint venture of ICT, IRD and SHELADIA to act as consultants with a cost of around Tk 269.88 crore.

Besides, the lot number DS-11 under package number WP-6 under the “SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development” Project has been awarded to the joint venture of Enez, Turkey TCCL, Bangladesh with a cost of around Tk 896.82 crore.

Apart from this, the day’s CCGP meeting decided that Synhydro Engineering Bureau 8 Corporation Ltd China will implement the works of lot number DS-12A under package number WP-6 in the “SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development” Project with a cost of around Tk 576.05 crore.

Mahbub said the CCGP meeting also approved two proposals each from the Ministry of Shipping and Local Government Division and another proposal from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.