The government will import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice from India in order to increase the country's food stock.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved the food department's proposal to import 50,000 metric tonnes of non-basmati boiled rice from M/S Bagadiya Brothers Private Ltd, India with a cost of around Tk 169.56 crore.
The approval came from the 22nd meeting of the CCGP this year held virtually on Wednesday with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
Briefing reporters virtually after the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Md Shamsul Arefin said that the price of per metric ton rice would be $399.90 while the price of per kg rice is Tk 33.91.
He said that the CCGP approved 16 proposals involving Tk 1039.39 crore and the day's CCGP meeting approved a total of 16 proposals including highest number of 10 proposals from the Power Division, two proposals from the Road Transport and Highways Division, and one each from the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Food, Public Security Division and the Local Government Division.
He said under the proposal from the Local Government Division, the joint venture of Mott MacDonald Limited, Euro Consult Mott MacDonald Artelia SWECO Denmark A/S, AQUA Consultants and Associates Limited and Associates for Development Services Limited have been appointed as the project management consultant (PMC) for the component 1 and 3 with Tk 169.35 crore under the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant project (phase-3).
Md Shamsul Arefin said that in another proposal, RAB of Bangladesh Police would procure GSM UMTS Vehicular Active Support System from Threesixty Technologies, Delhaze Ltd and Panmark Impex Pte Ltd, Dhaka with around Tk 29.64 crore.
Prior to the CCGP meeting, the meeting on the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs was held virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
He also said that the meeting gave approval in principle to two proposals including one for signing Master Sale and Purchase Agreement (MSPA) with four firms for procuring LNG from the spot market by Petrobangla.
These four firms are - ITOCHU Corporation, Japan, Gunvor Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore, Shell International Trading Middle East Ltd, Dubai, and Total Gas & Power Ltd, UK.
Besides, the meeting gave approval in principle to another proposal from the Ministry of Commerce for extending the timeframe by another three years till May 26, 2024 for importing or locally procuring essential items on emergency state purpose by the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).
These essential items include onion, garlic, lentil, chickpeas, spices, dry chili, ginger, soybean oil, palm oil, sugar, salt.