The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved three proposals on Wednesday for importing a total of 3.065 million tonnes of fuel oil in 2024.
This volume comprises 1.565 million tonnes of refined fuel oil and 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the virtual meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan said the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has been approved to import 1.565 million tonnes of refined fuel oil through an international quotation system during January-June 2024 by spending Tk 136 billion.
The meeting also approved another proposal for BPC to import 0.8 million tonnes of Arabian light crude oil from Saudi Aramco in 2024 at a cost of Tk 640.735 billion.
Besides, the BPC has been approved to import 0.7 million tonnes of Murban crude oil from ADNOC, Abu Dhabi, for 2024 at a price of Tk 580.852 billion.
The CCGP meeting also approved a proposal for the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) to buy 4.0 million litres of rice bran oil from Mozumder Products and Bran Oil Ltd for Tk 634 million, with each litre priced at Tk 158.5.
The TCB has also been okayed to buy 5.0 million litres of soybean oil from Bashundhara Multi Foods Products Ltd at a cost of Tk 786.1 million, with each litre costing Tk 157.22.
Moreover, the TCB was given the go-ahead to buy 12,500 tonnes of lentils from Nabil and Naba Foods Ltd and SR Corporation at a total cost of Tk 1.04 billion, with each kilogram priced at Tk 104.
According to Mr Khan, the committee approved the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) to import 30,000 tonnes of triple superphosphate (TSP) fertiliser under a state-level agreement with OCP, SA, Morocco. This will cost nearly Tk 1.32 billion, with each tonne priced at $401.
The BADC was also approved to import 25,000 tonnes of TSP fertiliser under a state-level agreement with GCT, Tunisia, for Tk 1.09 billion. Each tonne will cost $396.
Moreover, the meeting approved the tariff rate for a proposed 100MW wind-based power plant to be constructed in Satkhira district by Sustainable Energy International Ltd. The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will buy electricity from the plant for 20 years at Tk 13.525/kWh, totalling Tk 56.87 billion.
The committee also approved the tariff rate for a proposed 10MW solar power plant to be set up in Noakhali sadar upazila by a consortium of Infraco Asia Development Pte Ltd, Greencells GmbH and Global Greengen Ltd.
The BPDB will buy electricity under a "no electricity, no payment" method at Tk 11.017/kWh for 20 years, costing Tk 3.57 billion.
On Wednesday, the finance minister also chaired another meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs. The meeting approved in principle a proposal for setting up a solar power plant at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The meeting also approved a proposal for the Directorate General of Health Services to buy 69,375 cartons of 22 types of medicines for the current fiscal year from the Essential Drugs Company Limited through the direct procurement method (DPM).
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