The government will buy a total of 1.5 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines from Sinopharm International of China at a less price compared to the previously agreed price.
The approval came from the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) this year held virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
After the meeting, the finance minister said while briefing reporters virtually, “The Sinopharm International would provide Bangladesh with these vaccines at a lower price compared to the price mentioned in earlier agreement in a bid to bolster the government's drive to vaccinate the country's people.”
“Out of the 15 million doses contracted by the Chinese company, China has given 2 million as gifts,” he added.
He mentioned that a total of 15 million doses, including the remaining 13 million doses and the newly proposed 2 million doses of vaccine, have been supplied under the Synopharm Vaccine Supplement Agreement-1 at a lower price than previously mentioned in the previous contract and an additional 15 million doses have been approved.
Kamal said that this is a selective purchase, so it is not possible for the government to reveal the details of the procurement.
Meanwhile, the finance minister said in another proposal from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Petrobangla would procure 33.60 lakh MMBtu LNG from M/S AOT Trading AG, Switzerland with a cost of around Tk 436.47 crore. The per MMBtu LNG would cost $13.069.
He said that the meeting approved another proposal from the Bangladesh Railway under the Ministry of Railways for appointing the joint venture of RITES Ltd India, Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers and Consultant Pvt Ltd India as the consultant for the project for constructing new dual gauge railway track from Bogura to Shaheed Mansur Ali Station, Sirajganj with around Taka 97.56 crore.
Kamal said the meeting approved another proposal for appointing the joint venture of M/S Arab Consulting Engineers Moharram Bakhoum, Egypt; National Maintenance Cooperation and Engineering Services, Egypt; Engineers and Consultants Bangladesh Ltd as the international consulting firm with around Tk 39.77 crore under the Ghorashal Palash Urea Fertilizer Project being implemented by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.
The finance minister said that the BCIC under the Ministry of Industries would procure 30,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid for the DAP Fertilizer Company Limited from UAE with around Tk 177.34 crore. Per metric ton of phosphoric acid would cost $653.40.
Joining the briefing virtually, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Md Shamsul Arefin said that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Health Services Division would procure these vaccines from Sinopharm International under the supplementary agreement-1.
He informed that in order to meet the emergency requirements, the Sinopharm International may provide additional doses of vaccines in addition to these 15 million doses of vaccines.
