The government will purchase 25,000 tonnes of sugar and 30,000 tonnes of soybean oil from the local market to meet the growing demand of the commodities during Ramadan.

The state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh will procure sugar from City Sugar Industries at Tk 61.25 a kg and soybean oil from Super Oil Refinery Ltd and Bashundhara Fortified Soybean Oil.

Oil will be supplied in 2-litre and 5-litre bottles. The price of each litre of oil will be Tk 91.95 for 2-litre bottles, which will come down to Tk 90.95 for 5-litre ones.

Sugar and oil will be purchased to keep their prices stable during the month of fasting, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said yesterday.

The minister told journalists after a meeting of the cabinet committee on purchase at the secretariat, where a proposal of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to go for the purchase was given go-ahead.

Usually, vested quarters of business community try to increase the prices of gram, sugar, onion, oil etc during Ramadan. For this reason, TCB intervenes in the market to keep the prices stable.

Another proposal for procurement of various machineries, including three mobile harbour cranes and two tyre mounted multipurpose cranes, at Tk 194.51 crore for Mongla port was also approved at the meeting.

Dhaka-based Maxon Power Ltd will supply the equipment.    

The committee also approved a proposal for civil works for Sheola land port in Sylhet.