State-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will procure 16.5 million litres of soybean oil from local private firms and 8,000 tonnes of lentil from a Turkish supplier for its ongoing open market sale (OMS) programme.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved three separate proposals in its meeting on Wednesday. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting.
Import of 90,000 tonnes of fertiliser also received approval of the committee, reports UNB.
Officials said the purchase of soybean oil and lentils by state-marketing agency TCB is part of its move to run the ongoing OMS operation to sell some essential produces at subsidised rate for the low-income group.
Earlier, the CCGP gave nods to similar proposals placed by the Commerce Ministry on behalf of the TCB. The TCB is a subsidiary body of the Commerce Ministry.
As per the proposals, the TCB will procure 11 million litres of soybean oil from local Meghna Edible Oil Refinery Limited at a cost of Tk 1.89 billion.
It will purchase 5.5 million litres of soybean oil from local Super Oil Refinery limited at Tk 879.7 million, with each litre costing Tk 156.95, down from previous Tk 185.
The TCB will procure some 8000 tonnes of lentils from a Turkish firm at a cost of Tk 709.8 million, with each kilogramme Tk 88.73, down from Tk 110 per kg.
The CCGP also approved two proposals of the Agriculture Ministry to import a total of 90,000 tonnes of fertiliser from abroad under state-level agreements.
As per the proposals, the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) will import 50,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser from Canadian Commercial Corporation at Tk 4.37 billion and 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertiliser from OCP, SA of Morocco at a cost of Tk 3.02 billion.