Dhaka: The government has approved separate proposals for procuring approximately 50,000 metric tons of non-basmati rice, 40,000 metric tons of DAP fertilizer, and 10,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid to meet the growing demands of the country. The approvals were granted during the eighth meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase this year, held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at Bangladesh Secretariat. Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed chaired the meeting, which approved a total of 12 proposals.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Finance Adviser briefed reporters after the meeting, stating that numerous proposals were approved, including the import of rice and fertilizer, the construction of fertilizer godowns, and the development of roads and bridges. Regarding the procurement related to Matarbari Port development, he mentioned that it is an integrated project ensuring offshore port facilities and power supply with high-quality instruments.
The Directorate General of Food, following a proposal from the Ministry of Food, will procure 50,000 metric tons of non-basmati boiled rice through international quotation for the current fiscal year (FY25) from M/S Bagadiya Brothers Private Limited, India. The procurement is valued at around Taka 265.07 crore, with each ton of rice costing $434.55.
Responding to a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) will procure 40,000 metric tons of DAP fertilizer under the third lot through a state-level agreement with MA’ADEN, Saudi Arabia. This procurement will cost approximately Taka 299.87 crore, with each ton of fertilizer priced at $614.50.
Additionally, the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), based on a proposal from the Ministry of Industries, will acquire 10,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid via international open tender from Guangxi Pengyue Eco-Technology Co Ltd, China. The cost for this procurement is around Taka 76.86 crore, with each ton of phosphoric acid costing $630.
The meeting also approved proposals for constructing two fertilizer godowns at Manikganj and Munshiganj, costing approximately Taka 120 crore, and two more fertilizer godowns at Jashore and Narail, with an estimated cost of Taka 117.63 crore. Furthermore, separate procurement proposals for implementing various packages under the JICA funded Matarbari Port Development (2nd revised) project were approved.