Govt to import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice from India

GBNEWS24 DESK//

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase has approved import of 50,000 metric tonnes of rice to keep the country’s rice market stable.

The non-Basmati parboiled rice will be imported from India. Import of each kilogram of rice will cost Tk 35.27.

PK Agri Link Private Ltd of West Bengal, India, won the contract at a value of Tk 2.08 crore. Each metric tonne of rice will cost US$ 416.

The Committee approved the import of rice at a meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday.

Besides, the Committee approved 11 other procurement proposals including fertiliser and petroleum.

Law Minister Anisul Huque presided over the meeting in absence of the committee head finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday.

The committee gave its nod to a proposal of the state-owned Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation to import 25,000 MT of bulk prilled urea fertiliser from Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution Company Muntajat, QPJSC Qatar under a state-level agreement at a cost Tk 54.68 crore.

A proposal of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation received the approval of the committee to import 600,000 MT DAP fertiliser from MA’ADEN of Saudi Arabia at a cost of Tk 2097.97 crore under a state-level deal.

The committee approved a proposal of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to import 40,000 MT of octane at a cost Tk 129.63 crore.

Another proposal of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division for the appointment of Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions Corporation, Japan and Nippon Koei Co Ltd, Japan JV as consultant for conducting feasibility study on implementing a deep-sea LNG terminal at Matarbari port at a cost of Tk 43 crore.

The request for proposal evaluation of bidders and selection of terminal developer will be part of the consultant’s job.

The committee approved a proposal of Roads and Highway Department to award contract for upgrading Anwara upazila connecting road to 4-lane Upgrading Karnaphuli Tunnel Connecting Road Shikolbaha-Anwara National Highway to a joint venture of National Development Engineers Ltd, Taher Brothers Ltd and Hasan Techno Builders Ltd at a cost of Tk 266.14 crore.