Govt to procure lentils, edible oil, wheat for low-income people

FE Team | Published: December 27, 2023 22:06:32

The government will procure lentils, edible oil and wheat to meet domestic demands as the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Wednesday approved a number of proposals in this regard, reports UNB.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the online meeting on Wednesday.
Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Division Syed Mahbub Khan briefed reporters about the outcomes of the meeting.
The CCGP approved four proposals to purchase 14,000 tonnes of lentils and 10 million litres of rice bran oil to sell those to the low-income people through state marketing agency Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).
As per the proposals, some 6,000 tonnes (MTs) of lentils will be imported through open tender method in the fiscal year 2023-24.
Islam Trading of Chittagong will supply the bulk lentils at a total cost Tk 622.8 million at Tk 103.80 per kg.
The TCB will purchase 6.0 million litres of rice bran oil through local direct purchase method from two local firms--Majumdar Products Limited and MRT Agro Products Bd Limited--at a total cost of Tk 945 million. Price of rice bran oil per liter was set at Tk 157.50.
Under two more proposals, instantly presented in the meeting, some 8,000 tonnes of lentils will be imported from India at a cost of Tk 778.8 million with each kg price at Tk 102.36.
In another proposal, the TCB will purchase 5.0 million liters of soybean oil from Bashundhara Group at a cost of Tk 786.1 million with each litre cost at Tk 157.22.
The Cabinet body approved two proposals to import 0.1 million tonnes of wheat through two separate international tenders at a cost of Tk 3.48 billion.
Of these 50,000 tonnes of wheat will be imported through international open tender method.
As per the proposals of the Ministry of Food, the bulk wheat will cost Tk 1.75 billion.
Cereal Crops Trading LLC of the United Arab Emirates will supply the wheat at a cost of Tk 1.75 billion with each kg costing at Tk 35.01.