The government has decided to build a buffer warehouse with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes in Lakshmipur district to strengthen fertiliser storage and distribution. It will cost Tk 49,14,27,814.

The proposal was approved on Wednesday, 29 July, at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase held at the Secretariat and chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The work will be carried out under the project "Construction of 34 buffer warehouses at different locations in the country to facilitate fertiliser storage and distribution (first revised)", implemented by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) under the Ministry of Industries. The total cost of Tk 49,14,27,814, including VAT and taxes, will be met from government funds.

Four firms submitted bids in response to the open tender, of which two were found technically responsive. After the full process, and on the recommendation of the tender evaluation committee, MBL and REL, Dhaka, bidding jointly, were selected as the lowest bidder. Approval has been given to procure the construction work from them at the quoted price.

A steel-structure buffer warehouse for storing 10,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser will be built at the designated site in Lakshmipur. The work also includes land development, an office-cum-guesthouse, an Ansar barracks, a substation and generator room, separate toilets, a watch tower, reinforced concrete storm-water drains, a pump house and underground water reservoir, a boundary wall, a main gate and a guard room.

A pond will also be dug, and substation equipment of 100 kVA, a 60 kVA generator and a solar power system will be installed.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project's first revision on 11 April 2023. The project runs from 1 September 2018 to 30 June 2027.

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