Govt to buy wheat from Russia

Amid discussions over buying cheap fuel oil from Russia, the government now decided to buy 0.5 million tonnes of wheat from the country.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase at a virtual meeting on Wednesday approved a proposal in this regard alongside 14 other procurement proposals, placed by different ministries. Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal chaired the meet.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Abdul Barik said Russian wheat would cost the exchequer Tk 40.85 each kilogramme, while the total payment for the procurement would stand at US$ 215 million.

Replying to a query, he said the payment would be made in US dollar.

A recent meeting at the Cabinet Division, chaired by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and attended by several ministers and secretaries, discussed that importing food grains from Russia would not create any problem - although the western nations imposed various sanctions on trading with the country, which invaded its neighbour Ukraine in late February.

However, the meeting also discussed that importing fuel oil from Russia might anger the western nations, where majority of the Bangladeshi export goods go.

The cabinet body meeting also approved a proposal for importing 0.1 million tonnes of rice from India and 0.23 million tonnes of rice from Vietnam.

These procurements are part of the government's effort to import 0.73 million tonnes of wheat and rice to ensure food security in the country.

The Indian rice would be brought in two separate lots of 70,000 tonnes and 30,000 tonnes, and those would cost Tk 42 per kg and Tk 40.70 per kg respectively. On the other hand, Vietnamese rice would cost Tk 50 per kg and Tk 47 per kg, and those would be brought in two phases.

The meeting also approved a proposal to buy 0.1 million tonnes of MOP fertiliser from Dubai-based Falco General Trading LLC at a cost of Tk 9.314 billion.

Approval was also given to import 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia at a cost of Tk 1.779 billion and another 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from the same company at Tk 1.779 billion. The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) would make the procurements.

The committee also approved a proposal to appoint China Communications Construction Company Ltd at a cost of Tk 9.838 billion as the service provider for maintenance of the Bangabandhu Tunnel in Chattogram and realising tolls from it for a period of five years.

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