Staff reporter:
The government has approved separate proposals to procure a total of 295,000 tonnes of fertiliser, including urea, triple superphosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP), to meet the growing demand of such key agricultural inputs.
The proposals were approved for recommendations at the 53rd meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP), held yesterday with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair.
Of the total quantity, 155,000 tonnes are urea, 80,000 tonnes DAP and 60,000 tonnes TSP.
Under the proposals, the Ministry of Agriculture sought to import 30,000 tonnes of TSP under the 10th lot from Morocco’s OCP Nutricrops SA at Tk 244.18 crore, at $656.67 per tonne, under a government-to-government (G2G) agreement.
Another 30,000 tonnes of TSP under the 11th lot were proposed for import from the same Moroccan company at Tk 244.94 crore, at $656.33 per tonne.
The proposals also include the import of 40,000 tonnes of DAP under the optional sixth lot and another 40,000 tonnes under the confirmed eighth lot from OCP Nutricrops SA. Each consignment carries a proposed cost of Tk 423.79 crore, at $851.67 per tonne.
The Ministry of Industries proposed importing 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea under the ninth lot (optional first lot) from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company at Tk 214.00 crore, at $432.50 per tonne.
Another 40,000 tonnes under the 10th lot (optional second lot) were recommended for approval from SABIC at Tk 214.04 crore, at $430.83 per tonne.
The government also recommeded a proposal to import 45,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Fertiglobe, UAE, at Tk 289.93 crore, at $519.17 per tonne.
Besides, the proposal includes purchasing 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (KAFCO), Bangladesh, at Tk 153.09 crore, at $410.875 per tonne, including a bagging charge of $5.
