The government will procure liquefied natural gas (LNG), fertiliser, lentil and edible oil to meet domestic demands.

A number of bulk procurement proposals were approved in the maiden meeting of the new Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Tuesday after the new cabinet was sworn in following the parliamentary election on January 7.

New Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali presided over the virtually held CCGP meeting.

As per a proposal of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, state-owned Petrobangla will import LNG cargo, having 33.60 lakh MMBtu of LNG, at a cost of Tk 470.48 crore from TotalEnergies Gas & Power Ltd. Switzerland through a limited bidding in the international spot market.

The committee approved some 8 proposals for importing fertilisers.

Of these, the 4 were placed by the Agriculture Ministry under which Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) will import a total of 1.4 lakh metric tons of different types of fertiliser from four foreign companies.

The BADC will import 40,000 MT of DAP fertiliser from Ma'aden of Saudi Arabia at Tk 259.16 crore with each tonne at $589, some 30,000 MT of TSP fertiliser from OCP, S.A of Morocco at Tk 112.38 crore with each MT at $386, another 40,000 MT of DAP fertiliser from the same company of Morocco at Tk 240.90 crore with each MT at $547.50 and 30,000 MOP fertliser from Russia's JSC Foreign Economic Corporation “Prodintorg” at Tk 99.69 crore with each MT at $302.

As per four separate proposals, placed by the Industries Ministry, the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will import a total of 1.20 lakh metric tons of urea fertiliser.

Of these, the 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea will imported from Muntajat of Qatar at Tk 103.42 crore with each MT at $313.42, while some 30,000 MT of bagged granular urea from Kafco at Tk 104.48 crore with each MT at $316.62, some 30,000 bulk granular urea from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company of Saudi Arabia at TK 103.42 crore with each MT at $313.42 and another 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea from same Saudi company at Tk 102.42 crore with each MT at $313.42 will be imported.

The committee approved three separate proposals placed instantly on the table by the Commerce Ministry.

As per the proposals, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will procure 10,000 MT of lentil through open tender from Uma Expo Pvt. Ltd., India, at Tk 96.14 crore with each kilogram (KG) at Tk 101.13, while another 10,000 MT of lent from (1) Roy Agro Food Products Ltd., Bogura; and (2) Nabil Naba Foods Ltd., Dhaka at Tk 105.45 crore with each kilogram (KG) price at Tk 105.45, and 1.20 crore litres of rice bran oil through direct purchase method (DPM) from (1) Majumdar Products Ltd.; (2) Majumdar Bran Oil Mills Ltd and (3) Ali Natural Oil Mills & Agro Industries Ltd at Tk 189.60 crore with each litre price at Tk 158.

The TCB will sell the products among its 1 crore cardholder families through open market sale.