The government on Wednesday approved separate proposals for procuring some 1.80 crore liters of rice bran oil to meet the growing demand for edible oil in the country and thus keep the supply chain stable in the domestic market.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase recommended approval of several procurement proposals, including the purchase of refined rice bran oil.
The decisions were taken at the 8th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase for 2026 and also the first meeting under the new government with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair through virtual platform.
Among the proposals, three were submitted by the Ministry of Commerce, while one proposal each came from the Local Government Division, Power Division, and Energy and Mineral Resources Division.
The committee reviewed two proposals from the Ministry of Commerce to procure refined rice bran oil through the Open Tender Method (National).
Under the first proposal, the government will purchase 80 lakh litres of refined rice bran oil under four packages at a total cost of Tk 135.15 crore.
The recommended suppliers include Majumder Bran Oil Mills Ltd., Green Oil & Poultry Feed Industry, Tamim Agro Industries Ltd., and Prodhan Oil Mills Ltd.
The quoted prices ranged between Tk 167.50 and Tk 169.75 per litre, inclusive of advance income tax and transportation costs.
Under another proposal, the committee reviewed the procurement of 1 one crore litres of refined rice bran oil under five packages at a total estimated cost of Tk 170.41 crore.
The recommended bidders include Majumder Bran Oil Mills Ltd., Majumder Products Ltd., Tamim Agro Industries Ltd., and Green Oil & Poultry Feed Industry, and Majumder Products Ltd with prices ranging from Tk 170.25 to Tk 170.75 per litre.
The committee recommended approval of both proposals.
Officials said the procurement aims to ensure adequate supply of edible oil in the domestic market and support government distribution programmes.
The committee also considered and recommended a variation proposal related to the construction of a 1,490-metre PC girder bridge over the Teesta River, connecting Panchpir Bazar of Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha with the headquarters of Chilmarí upazila.
The project is being implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).
Under the second variation, the contract value has been revised to Tk 443.68 crore up from the original contract value of Tk 367.98 crore. The revised amount represents a 20.57 percent increase over the original contract price.
The recommended contractor for the project is China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CSCEC).
The day’s meeting also recommended approval of a proposal for purchasing electricity from the gas-based 2x120 MW Siddhirganj power plant, constructed by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited (EGCB).
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will purchase electricity from the plant at a revised levelized tariff of Tk 3.3664 per kilowatt-hour.
The estimated procurement cost stands at Tk 23880.02 crore.