The interim government has approved the import of 50,000 tonnes of wheat from Switzerland at a cost of Tk 175.28 crore for the fiscal year 2024-25.
The Advisory Council Committee on Government Purchase granted the expenditure approval at a meeting chaired by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Wednesday (November 13).
According to meeting sources, the wheat will be procured under Package-2 through an international open tender issued by the Ministry of Food.
Switzerland-based company Aston Agro-Industrial SA will supply the wheat at a rate of $292.14 per tonne, totaling $14.67 million, or approximately Tk 175.28 crore. This sets the price at Tk 35.06 per kilogram.
An international tender process received four responsive bids, with Aston Agro-Industrial SA ultimately selected as the lowest bidder.
Currently, Bangladesh holds a stock of 4.49 lakh tonnes of wheat, and a total of 8.90 lakh tonnes will be required for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The government has budgeted for the import of 7 lakh tonnes from international sources to meet this demand.
Earlier, on November 6, the government approved a separate purchase of 50,000 metric of wheat from Agrocorp International Pte Ltd of Singapore under Package-1 at a cost of Tk 180.82 crore, with the price set at $301.38 per tonne.
MAS/NMA