Dhaka: The government has approved proposals to procure one crore liters of refined soybean oil and 40,000 metric tons of fertiliser to meet the country’s growing demands. The decision emerged from a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at the Secretariat.

According to United News of Bangladesh, the committee approved four purchase proposals from various ministries and divisions, including the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industries, and the Road Transport and Highways Division. The Ministry of Commerce’s proposal involves procuring one crore liters of refined soybean oil via the local Open Tender Method from Sonargaon Seeds Crushing Mills Ltd., Dhaka, at a cost of Tk 180.85 crore, with each liter priced at Tk 180.85.

In addition, the Ministry of Industries proposed importing 40,000 metric tons of bulk granular urea fertiliser from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company of Saudi Arabia. This procurement will cost approximately Tk 191.41 crore, with each ton priced at US$390.

The Road Transport and Highways Division also put forward a proposal, which led to the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) being tasked with procuring non-consultancy services for commercial driver training under the ‘Bangladesh Road Safety Project.’ This project, with a budget of around Tk 230.72 crore, is co-financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank.

Furthermore, another proposal from the Road Transport and Highways Division was approved for constructing the Nalua-Baherchar Bridge over the Pandab-Paira River, including associated infrastructure such as approach roads and a toll plaza. The project, jointly financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the OPEC Fund, was awarded to the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) at a total cost of Tk 899.62 crore.