The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A local firm, Smile Food Products, yesterday quoted the lowest price of $446 per tonne in a Bangladesh import tender to supply 70,000 tonnes of wheat, official sources said last afternoon.

The tender to import 100,000 tonnes of wheat floated by the Food and Disaster Management ministry early this month, closed on yesterday, with validity up to May 19.

But Smile quoted the price only to supply 70,000 tonnes of wheat, to Chittagong port cif, including stevedoring on the seller's account at both ends of the shipment.

Smile will buy the wheat from the Singapore-based Agro Crop International Pvt Limited, which will procure the cargo either from the United States or from Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada or Australia, they said.

The firm also quoted a separate price of $456 per tonne to supply 30,000 tonnes of wheat, to Mongla port.

Meanwhile, a Reuter's story from Dhaka yesterday said another Bangladeshi firm BSM Syndicate quoted $517 per tonne for Chittagong port and $521 for Mongla port to supply 40,000 tonnes of wheat from Canada.

Another local firm Bulk Trade International, quoted $492.20 per tonne for Chittagong port and $507.20 for Mongla port to supply 35,000 tonnes.

India's LMJ quoted $474 per tonne only for Chittagong port to supply 10,000 tonnes.

Officials say the country needs to import more than 2 million tonnes to meet annual demand of 3.5 million tonnes of wheat despite a probably bumper harvest of 1.4 million tonnes in the financial year to June.