The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday approved six proposals, including import of 50,000 metric tonnes of rice. 

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting.  

Rice import has been dominating as a regular agenda in the purchase body meeting since the beginning of 2021. 

Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sahida Akter, while briefing on the purchase committee meeting outcomes, said that the Directorate General of Food under the Food Ministry will import the 50,000MT non-bashmoti parboiled rice from Bagadiya Brothers Private Ltd of India at a cost of Tk 176.38 crore. 

Also read: Purchase body okays 6 proposals including import of LNG, rice

Each MT will cost $416, Akter added. 

The committee approved a proposal of the state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to import 100,000MT crude oil from PT Bumi Siak Pusaku (BSP) Zapin of Indonesia under a government-to-government contract at a cost of Tk 431.14 crore for Bashundhara Bitumen/Asphalt production plant in Keraniganj.

About the proposal, BPC Director (operation and planning) Syed Mehedi Hasan said the state-owned petroleum body will import the proposed crude oil for the private bitumen plant under a contract with the Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company Ltd. 

Also read: Govt to import 3.5 lakh MT more rice

A proposal of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) under the Industries Ministry received the nod of the Cabinet committee to purchase 30,000MT bagged granular urea fertiliser from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco) at a cost of Tk 90.59 crore. 

The Cabinet body approved another proposal of the BCIC to import Reformed Gas Waste Heat Boiler and associated equipment from BORSIG Process Heat Exchange GmbH, Germany, at a cost of Tk 56.65 crore through direct procurement method. 

The committee approved a proposal of the Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division to extend the contract of the Computer Network System Limited as service provider for six months up to September 30, 2021 for collecting tolls from Meghna Bridge and Gomti Bridge on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway at cost of Tk 35.57 crore.

Also read: Cabinet purchase body nods import of rice, fertiliser, petroleum

A proposal of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) under the Ministry of Shipping was approved to purchase 10 bollard pull tugboats with spare parts, each having 12 tons capacity, from Dockyard and Engineering Works at Tk 166.97 crore through direct purchase method.