The interim government will procure 1.40 crore litres of edible oil from S Alam Super Oil Ltd for sale among low-income people at subsidised rates through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).

The advisory council on public procurement endorsed the proposal at a meeting in Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.

As per the proposal, 30.10 lakh litres of refined loose soybean oil will be bought for Tk 53.34 crore and 1.10 crore litres of refined loose palm oil for Tk 134 crore.

The committee also approved a proposal for the procurement of 10,000 tonnes of lentils from Nabil Naba Limited of Paba upazila of Rajshahi for Tk 95.97 crore.

The TCB purchased 45.65 crore tonnes of essential food commodities last fiscal year for sale among low-income people.

Of it, edible oil was of 1.63 tonnes, lentil 1.94 lakh tonnes, sugar 77,777 tonnes, pulses 9,789 tonnes, dates 722 tonnes, and onion 9,462 tonnes.

Other proposals were approved for the purchase of urea, double and triple superphosphate and muriate of potash fertilisers from Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Russia through Bangladesh Agricultural Development Council for sale among farmers at subsidised rates.

The council also approved a proposal for the procurement of one cargo of LNG for Tk 708.55 crore from Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore on the first week of January.

Each cargo is equivalent to 33.60 lakh MMbtu (million British thermal units).

Moreover, six lakh tonnes of crude oil will be imported from Abu Dhabi for Tk 5,208 crore, seven lakh tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia's Aramco for Tk 6,025 crore and refined furnace oil worth Tk 10,710 crore from Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

The committee also approved proposals for printing academic books, which would be provided free of cost among students of some grades.

A proposal for the construction of a bridge over the Feni river connecting Sonagazi upazila in Feni and Mirsarai economic zone at a cost of Tk 630 crore was approved as well.