The government has approved the purchase of 130,000 tonnes of fertilizers under state-to-state agreements with Canada and Morocco, as well as through open procurement from Saudi Arabia and Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO), at a total cost of Tk 682 crore.

The approval came during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Government Procurement on Tuesday, which sanctioned four separate proposals for fertilizer procurement.

According to officials, the government has approved the import of 70,000 tonnes of MOP (Muriate of Potash) and 60,000 tonnes of urea, amounting to Tk 682 crore in total.

Under a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, the government approved the 9th lot purchase of 40,000 tonnes of MOP under a state-to-state agreement between the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). The cost of this import is Tk 174.42 crore, with a per-tonne price of USD 356.25.

Similarly, the 8th lot (optional 1st lot) import of 30,000 tonnes of MOP under the state-level agreement between Morocco’s OCP Nutricrops and BADC was approved. The procurement will cost Tk 208.82 crore, at USD 568.67 per tonne.

Under proposals from the Ministry of Industries, the government approved the 4th lot of 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Sabic Agricultural & Nutrition Company, Saudi Arabia for the 2025-26 fiscal year. This purchase will cost Tk 155.45 crore, with a per-tonne price of USD 422.66.

The government also approved the 6th lot of 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (KAFCO), at a cost of Tk 143.48 crore, with a per-metric-tonne price of USD 390.75.

In addition, the government has decided to procure 15,000 tonnes of white sugar locally at Tk 173.37 crore under a direct purchase arrangement. The sugar will be procured from the Bangladesh Sugar & Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), with a per-kilogram price of Tk 115.58.

Apart from sugar, the Advisory Committee on Government Procurement also granted approval for the procurement of several types of fertilizers during the meeting.