The Cabinet Committee on Public Procurement on Wednesday approved large-scale purchase of edible oil and lentils through open tender, with a total approved expenditure of about Tk 448.8 crore to meet the demand in the coming days.

The approvals were given in a meeting of the committee held at the Secretariat with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair.

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In the case of refined rice bran oil, the committee approved the purchase of 1 crore litres of oil packed in 2-litre PET bottles at a cost of Tk 179.50 crore. The unit price was fixed at Tk 179.50 per litre.

The supply has been distributed among four companies. Majumdar Bran Oil Mills Limited of Jashore will supply 40 lakh litres, Majumdar Products Limited of Dhaka will supply 30 lakh litres, Tamim Agro Industries Limited of Dhaka will supply 20 lakh litres, and Green Oil and Poultry Feed Industries of Dhaka will supply 10 lakh litres.

In another decision, the committee approved the procurement of 1 crore litres of refined palm olein in 2-litre PET bottles at a total cost of Tk 184.38 crore, with a unit price of Tk 184.38 per litre. The contract was awarded to Sonargaon Seeds Crushing Mills Limited of Gulshan in Dhaka.

The committee also approved the purchase of 10,000 tonnes of lentils in 50 kg bags at a total cost of Tk 84.77 crore, with a unit price of Tk 84.77 per kg. The contract was awarded to Shabnam Vegetable Oil Industries Limited of Kawran Bazar, Dhaka.

In addition, the purchase of another 10,000 tonnes of lentils was approved at a total cost of Tk 83.63 crore. Under this, 5,000 tonnes will be supplied by Madina Trading Corporation of Savar, Dhaka and 5,000 tonnes will be supplied by Bismillah Dal Mill of Rajshahi.

Officials said these procurement decisions are aimed at ensuring stable supply of essential commodities in the domestic market, particularly edible oil and pulses, and to help maintain price stability amid global market fluctuations.