The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The government yesterday approved four procurement proposals including import of 160,000 metric tones of urea to meet the local demand in the peak season of harvesting different crops.

The cabinet committee on public purchase approved the Industries Ministry proposal that sought to procure urea from Bangladesh-Japan joint venture KAFCO in Chittagong and Qatar.

Some 50,000 MT of urea will be imported from Qatar Fertiliser Company and Ruias Fertiliser Company at a cost of Tk 48.36 crore. Another 60,000 MT of Granular urea will be purchased from KAFCO at a cost of Tk 112.86 crore.

The committee approved LGRD Ministry proposal to develop three upazila roads in Sunamganj district at a cost of Tk 39.94 crore.

The third proposal approved is to procure 'Supply and installation of power system metering equipment’ on turn-key basis from the lowest bidder at a cost of Tk 25.24 crore.

Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, who presided over the meeting, admitted stiff rise in inflation. He said he is not sure of achieving last year’s GDP growth of 6.5 per cent.

“I do not agree with them,” he said when his attention was drawn to the views of some economists that the country’s economic condition is deplorable.

Economic indicators - industrial term loan, credit flow in agriculture sector and import of industrial goods - have increased in the recent months, he added.

He, however, admitted export earning during July-September period was not satisfactory. “But after that export has been increasing.”