Coastal areas to get 5 lakh new silos

The government has decided to set up 5 lakh household-level silos in flood and cyclone-prone coastal areas to help people store food, food grain and seed during and after natural disasters.

The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday approved the proposal from the food ministry to award the work to the bidder. The World Bank will finance the project.

According to the proposal, the silos will be set up in 63 upazilas in 19 districts. Madina Polymer Industries Ltd will supply the silos at Tk 68.86 crore.

To be manufactured in Bangladesh, the household-level silos, or grain storage bins, are specially designed 70-liter, food-grade plastic bins with a watertight lid that prevents water intrusion from surges and floods. The bins can hold about 70 litres of food, food grain and seed.

The government also decided to appoint Dhaka-based Development Project Design & Services for identifying beneficiaries, training them and distributing the silos. The firm will get Tk 17.16 crore.

The cabinet committee on purchase also approved a power, energy and mineral resources ministry proposal on the use and implementation agreement of the LNG terminal to be set up on the Moheshkhali island in the bay to handle LNG imported from Qatar.

Petrobangla will pay about $90 million a year to use the planned LNG terminal of US-based Excelerate Energy, as the government seeks to speed up the import of gas to meet growing demand. As per conditions, Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Ltd will supply 500 million cubic feet of gas a day for 15 years.