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TCB to purchase 1.65cr litres of edible oil from local suppliers again

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The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved some 10 proposals including procurement of edible oil by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, and fertiliser by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation and the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.

The TCB will again purchase a total of 1.65 crore litres of edible oil from three local companies to run its open marketing sale programme.

The state marketing agency TCB, a subordinate body of the Commerce Ministry, last week received a nod for procuring 2.25 crore litres of soybean oil and 15,000 metric tons of lentils from local suppliers for the same purpose.

Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase in its meeting on Wednesday approved three new separate proposals, placed by the commerce ministry on behalf of the TCB in this regard.

Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the virtual meeting.

As per the decision of the CCGP meeting, the TCB will procure 55 lakh litres of soybean oil from each of the three companies—Super Oil Refinery Ltd., City Edible Oil Ltd and Meghna Edible Oil Refinery of Dhaka.

Each litre will cost Tk 185 and each of the companies will supply the edible oils through two-litres bottles as per the condition of the contract.

The entire consignment will cost Tk 305.25 crore as the TCB will pay Tk 101.75 crore to each of the three companies.

The Cabinet body also approved three separate proposals to import a total of 90,000 tons of fertiliser from two countries in three lots under G2G deals.

Of these, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture will import 30,000 MT of TSP fertiliser in a single lot from OCP, SA of Morocco while Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation will buy 90,000 MT of urea fertiliser Muntajat of Qatar and Kafco of Bangladesh in three separate lots.

The 30,000 MT fertiliser from Morocco will cost Tk 221.53 crore while each metric ton will cost $687.25 against the previous rate of $914.50.

Under the BCIC proposals, the Muntajat will supply a lot of 30,000 MT of bagged prilled urea fertiliser at a cost of Tk 206.59 crore. Each MT of fertiliser will cost 724.50 against the previous rate of $563.33.

The Muntajat will supply another lot of 30,000 MT bulk granular urea at Tk 209.10 crore. Each metric ton will cost $733.33 MT against a previous rate of $630.83.

The Committee also approved a proposal of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board to award contracts for printing, binding and supplying 11.20 lakh textbooks for the students from class I to VII for the 2023 session year at Tk489.25 crore.

The contracts will be awarded to 83 companies in 182 lots, said Abdul Barik, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division while briefing reporters.

A proposal of the Public Works Department under the Housing and Public Works Ministry received a nod to award a Tk 41.86 crore contract to Mazid Sons Constructions Ltd for external electrification works of 2 buildings at Rooppur Green City Housing Complex.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in principle approved two separate proposals to award contracts through direct purchase methods.

Of these, Bangladesh Army will execute dredging and river bank protection works at Majhirchar of Dohar area and elevation of ground level of army installations, wave protection and arrow defence works at Army Establishment in Mithamoin Upazila of Kishorganj District.

 

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TCB Approved to Procure 1.10cr Litres of Edible Oil, 10,000 Metric Tons of Lentils

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The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) has given approval for the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) to procure 1.10 crore litres of edible oil and 10,000 metric tons of lentils. The TCB will conduct these purchases as part of its open market sale (OMS) program.

In a meeting presided over by Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali on February 29, the CCGP approved two separate proposals presented by the commerce ministry on behalf of TCB.

According to the proposals, the TCB will import 1.10 crore litres of soybean oil through an open tender from City Edible Oil Ltd. The total cost of this procurement is Tk174.66 crore, with each litre priced at Tk165.25.

Additionally, the TCB will acquire 8,000 metric tons of lentils from Nabi Naba Food Limited, costing Tk83.12 crore, with each kilogram priced at Tk103.09.

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Rice Varieties and Prices Must Now be Printed on Bags, says Ministry of Food

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Rice Varieties and Prices Must Now be Printed on Bags, Declares Ministry

The Ministry of Food has issued a directive mandating the inclusion of selling prices of rice at mill gates and the specific rice varieties on bags. The move aims to curb potential price hikes and enhance transparency in the rice market. According to the announcement on Wednesday (21 February), rice-producing millers must display essential details such as mill name, district and upazila name, production date, mill gate price, and rice variety on bags before supplying for commercial purposes.

The ministry’s decision follows observations in various rice-producing districts, revealing the sale of rice from the same paddy type under different names and prices. The notice highlights the blame game among millers, wholesalers, and retailers during sudden price fluctuations, causing inconvenience for consumers in obtaining desired rice varieties at fair prices and leading to financial strain.

To enforce these guidelines, the ministry emphasizes that information on rice bags should not be handwritten with ink. Instead, rice-producing mill owners must ensure that all sacks/packets bear printed details as specified. Corporate bodies are also required to adhere to these guidelines, with the option to include maximum retail prices in addition to mill gate prices.

District administrators, upazila executive officers, and food controllers are instructed to confirm compliance during inspections. Any violation of these guidelines may result in necessary actions as per the provisions outlined in the “Production, Storage, Transfer, Transportation, Supply, Distribution and Marketing of Food Products (Prevention of Prejudicial Activity) Act, 2023.”

 

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Govt Initiatives Drive Lentil Cultivation, Targeting High Yields

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Around 54,101 tonnes of lentils are expected to be produced from 35,380 hectares of land in the division during the current Rabi season, officials said.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a production target of 32,411 tonnes of lentils from 20,620 hectares of land in four districts of its Rajshahi Agricultural Zone and 21,690 tonnes from 14,755 hectares of land in four other districts of the Bogura Zone.

DAE’s Additional Director Shamsul Wadud stated that all possible measures were taken to achieve the production target, providing farmers with newly developed high-yielding varieties of lentils. Small and marginalized farmers received seed and fertilizer support for lentil cultivation free of cost under the government’s agriculture incentive program.

Abul Kalam Azad, a farmer in Godagari Upazila, mentioned that he cultivates lentils to avoid irrigation water-related hassles for paddy. He cultivated lentils on six bighas of land this year without incurring extra irrigation costs. Farmers in the region find lentil cultivation appealing due to lower irrigation expenses and have witnessed abundant production in recent years.

Zakir Hossain, another farmer, highlighted that growers are increasingly interested in lentil cultivation due to its lower irrigation cost and consistently high yields in recent years. Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker noted that farmers have achieved better yields in cash crops due to the promotion of high-yielding varieties and modern management practices.

Efforts from government and non-government entities are encouraging farmers to cultivate water-saving crops like lentils in the Barind area to alleviate the growing pressure on underground water resources. Over 1,500 volunteers are engaged in promoting water resource management for less water-consuming crops as part of the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project.

Farmers’ interest in lentil cultivation has grown as they have experienced lucrative market prices for the crop in recent years. IWRM Project Coordinator Jahangir Alam Khan explained that farmers in high Barind areas, facing high irrigation costs for paddy farming, find lentil cultivation appealing due to its lower irrigation requirements.

Dr. Jagadish Chandra Barman, Principal Scientific Officer at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, emphasized the potential for significant lentil output in the Barind region. Cultivating lentils on around 80,000 hectares of fallow land after the harvest of transplanted Aman paddy could substantially contribute to reducing the country’s reliance on lentil imports.

The article concludes by highlighting the bright prospects of increasing lentil acreage, producing larger quantities with lower production costs, and reducing the pressure on lentil imports to meet domestic demand.

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