Govt to procure 2.37 lakh MTs of fertilizer

Government has approved separate proposals for procuring 2.37 lakh metric tons of urea, muriate of potash (MOP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilisers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Russia to meet the growing demand of such key agricultural inputs in the country.

The approvals came from the 49th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in this year held yesterday virtually with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair.

Following two proposals from the Ministry of Industries, the government will import 40,000 metric tons of bulk granular urea fertilizer from Saudi Arabia's SABIC Agri-nutrients Company at Tk 220.65 crore, at US$446.67 per ton, and another 42,000 metric tons of bulk granular urea fertilizer from Fertiglobe Distributions Limited of the UAE at Tk 275.78 crore, at US$531.67 per ton.

The Ministry of Agriculture will also import 40,000 metric tons of MOP fertiliser, with a possible additional 10 percent, from Canada's Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) at Tk 188.89 crore, at US$382.38 per ton. 

Another proposal covered 35,000 metric tons MOP fertilizer from Russia's JSC Foreign Economic Corporation (Prodintorg) at Tk 166.09 crore, at US$383.80 per ton. A separate proposal involved another 40,000 metric tons of MoP fertilizer from CCC at Tk 188.90 crore, at the unit price of $382.38.

The committee also considered importing 40,000 metric tons of DAP fertiliser, with a possible additional 10 percent, from Saudi Arabia's MA'ADEN at Tk 425.58 crore, at US$861.50 per ton.

For sugar, the Ministry of Commerce will purchase two lots of 5,000 metric tons each from Meghna Sugar Refinery Ltd. through the e-GP system. The stated costs were Tk 51.475 crore and Tk 51.975 crore, including VAT and taxes, bringing the combined quantity to 10,000 tons at Tk 103.45 crore.

Two other proposals concerned contract variations under the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion Project (Phase I),3rd revised project. A proposed Tk 360.65 crore variation would raise the main contract value to Tk 20,959.30 crore, while a Tk 405 crore variation would increase the consultancy contract value to Tk 1,176.72 crore.