Govt won't allow supply shortage of essentials

The government would not allow the creation of a short supply of essential commodities, Finance and Commerce Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said Wednesday.

Necessary steps will be taken to keep people free from stress, he told newsmen after a meeting of the Adviser's Council Committee on Government Purchase at the Cabinet Division conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The meeting approved eight proposals including procurement of soybean oil, chickpeas, and sugar.

The adviser said the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has been given approval to buy 3.26 million litres of soybean oil from Bashundhara Multi Food Products Ltd at a total cost of Tk 531.8 million or Tk 163.15 per litre.

Also approval has been given to two Australian companies -- DSL Pacific Pty Ltd and M/S Aust-Grain Exporters Pty Ltd -- to supply 10,000 tonnes of chickpeas at a total cost of Tk 1.019 billion or Tk 107.39 per kilogram.

Moreover, the TCB will buy 5,000 tonnes of sugar from City Sugar Industries Ltd at a total cost of Tk 604.6 million or Tk 120.92 per kg.

The TCB will buy these items to distribute among the needy people at subsidised rates ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, the adviser said.

The adviser said the meeting also approved procurement of one cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from M/S Excelerate Energy LP, United States at a price of Tk 6.863 billion or US$14.55 per MMBtu.

Excelerate Energy will supply another cargo of LNG to the Petrobangla at a price of Tk 6.695 billion or $14.65 per MMBtu.

The meeting also approved three proposals of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to buy 120,000 tonnes of fertiliser from Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh.

Under one proposal, the BCIC will buy 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Muntajat, Qatar at a price of Tk 1.317 billion with each tonne costing $366.

The BCIC has also been given permission to buy 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia at a price of Tk 1.377 billion or $382.67 per tonne.

Moreover, BCIC will buy 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea fertiliser from KAFCO, Bangladesh at a total price of Tk 1.315 billion or $365.38 per tonne.

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