Govt to procure 11m litres of soyabean oil, 8,000 tonnes of lentil for Ramadan

People crowd in front of the Trade Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) truck to buy the essential commodities at fair prices. The picture was taken from Hatirpul area in Dhaka on 16 March.
Sazid Hossain

State-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will procure 11 million litres of soyabean oil and 8,000 tonnes of lentil to meet the increased demand during the holy month of Ramadan, reports UNB.

Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in a meeting on Wednesday approved two separate proposals, placed by the Commerce Ministry on behalf of TCB, in this regard.

Agriculture minister Md Abdur Razzaque presided over the meeting while members of the committee attended it.

The TCB will procure soyabean oil from local supplier Meghna Group at Tk 1.95 billion.

Cabinet Division additional secretary Syed Mahbub Khan informed that Meghna won the contract for the supply through an open tender quoted Tk 176.88 for per litre of oil.

He also said that 8,000 tonnes of lentils would cost Tk 732.9 million. A Turkey company will supply the item at Tk 91.60 per kg.

The TCB's move to procure the products is a part of its open market sale (OMS) programme to sell those at a controlled price.

Commerce minister Tipu Munshi who attended the meeting told reporters that there was no chance to decrease the prices of TCB items.

The cabinet body also approved 13 more proposals with an overall involvement of Tk 14.89 billion.

It approved a proposal from the Department of Immigration and Passports seeking extra cost of Tk 881.1 million for operational support from German company Veridos GmbH under its project ‘Introduction of e-passport and automatic border control system in Bangladesh’.

The committee approved a proposal of the Dhaka WASA to award a Tk 912 million contract to VA Tech Wabag Ltd of India for reconstruction, expansion and operation of Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant.

A Roads and Highways Department proposal to appoint a contractor for the widening of the Baraiyerhat-Hiako-Ramgarh road project in Khagrachhari district at Tk 6.84 billion received the nod of the committee.

The cabinet committee approved three proposals for purchasing 15 Straddle carriers by the Chittagong Port Authority at around Tk 1.27 billion.

It also approved two proposals from the Rural Electrification Board to purchase equipment from BRB Cables at around Tk 2.14 billion for its upgrading project in Dhaka and Mymensingh.

Five variation proposals from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority worth over Tk 400 million under its ‘Construction and Delivery of Medium, Utility Type and Rocket Ghat Pontoon for 35 Vessel Project’ received the approval of the Cabinet body.