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Finance Advisor Salehuddin says the government considers quality, timely delivery and price, rather than specifying a particular source country

The interim government has decided to import another 50,000 tonnes of rice from India in a bid to manage inflation, Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed has said.

He made the announcement on Monday after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Purchase at the Secretariat.

When asked about the origins of the rice, the advisor said: “The rice will be imported from India.”

Referring to the government’s steps to counter rising inflation, Salehuddin said: “I am bringing in 50,000 tonnes of rice. As quickly as possible… hopefully we will be able to bring prices down.”

The price per metric tonne of rice has been set at $351.11. The total cost of the import will be Tk 2.147 billion. The import is approved following a proposal from the Ministry of Food.

Last month, after a similar purchasing committee meeting, the finance advisor also spoke of importing rice from India. At the time, he said rice prices had stabilised somewhat but were showing signs of rising again, adding that non-basmati rice would be imported to prevent additional price hikes.

When asked about the source country last month, he said the non-basmati rice would come from India, noting that the price was competitive and that the supplier would be based in Singapore. However, this time it will be sourced directly from India.

He added that the government considers quality, timely delivery and price, rather than specifying a particular source country.

At Monday’s meeting, the committee also approved decisions to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fertiliser.

Proposals were approved for the import of 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser in two lots, as well as for the construction of fertiliser storage warehouses in Naogaon and Bogura.

The government has also decided to import one cargo of LNG from the spot market, for $9.99 per MMBtu.

Source : bdnews24