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In a move to provide essential commodities at subsidised rates to low-income households, the government has approved the purchase of 4.5 million litres of refined rice bran oil for the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).
The procurement will be carried out through a local open tender process, with a total cost of Tk 71.78 crore.
The decision was approved during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase, held on Tuesday at the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.
According to sources familiar with the proceedings, the Ministry of Commerce proposed the procurement, which was reviewed and approved by the advisory committee.
The rice bran oil will be purchased from Mazumder Bran Oil Mills Limited at a unit price of Tk 159.50 per litre, which is lower than the rate approved in a similar procurement earlier this month.
On May 13, the committee approved the procurement of 11 million litres of rice bran oil under the same tendering method at Tk 161 per litre, with a total expenditure of Tk 177.10 crore. That purchase involved multiple suppliers, including Mazumder Product Ltd, Tamim Agro Industries, Pradhan Oil Mills, and Green Oil and Poultry Feed Industries, with allocations ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 litres per company.
The latest approval comes just 14 days after the previous procurement, signaling the government’s continued efforts to stabilize the edible oil market and maintain food affordability amid ongoing inflationary pressures. Notably, the unit price in this round is Tk 1.50 lower per litre than the previous tender, allowing the government to save on procurement costs while ensuring continued support for low-income groups.
This initiative is part of a broader government strategy to use TCB as a tool for market intervention, particularly for essential commodities, by ensuring affordable access for vulnerable populations.
