The government has decided to buy sugar, refined soybean oil and lentils worth Tk 519,37,72,500. Buying 25,000 tonnes of sugar will cost Tk 157,86,22,500, 2 crore litres of refined soybean oil Tk 282,55,50,000, and 10,000 tonnes of lentils Tk 78,96,00,000.

The purchases were approved at a meeting of the cabinet committee on government purchase chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday, 12 August, following a proposal from the Ministry of Commerce.

The committee recommended buying 25,000 tonnes of sugar through international open tender at USD 514 a tonne, for a total of Tk 157.86 crore. The recommended bidder is PT Trinity Chahaya Energy of Indonesia.

It also approved buying 2 crore litres of refined soybean oil through international open tender for Tk 282.56 crore, at USD 1.150 a litre. The recommended bidder is again PT Trinity Chahaya Energy of Indonesia.

A proposal to buy 2 crore litres of refined palm olein in two-litre PET bottles through a national open tender was also presented, but it was withdrawn from the discussion at the request of the Ministry of Commerce, so no purchase price was approved or recommended.

The committee approved buying 10,000 tonnes of lentils in 50kg sacks through a national open tender for Tk 78.96 crore, at Tk 78.96 a kg. The recommended supplier is Nabil Naba Foods Limited of Dawkandi in Paba upazila, Rajshahi.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.