Online Desk:  The waiver from complying with Public Procurement Rules (PPR) for Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has been extended for another year up to June 2025.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in a meeting with Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in the chair took the decision.

The finance minister virtually joined the meeting as he tested Corona positive after returning from abroad.

Briefing reporters about the outcomes of the meeting Md. Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Secretary, Coordination & Reforms at the Cabinet Division, said after the approval, the state marketing agency TCB can import or procure any essential product through direct purchase method (DPR).

“The TCB will not need to mandatorily follow the PPR in its direct purchase of any product. This facility has been given to TCB so that it could collect products for low income people who buy products from open market sale (OMS),” said the official.

He said sometimes TCB has to procure directly on an emergency basis as part of a market control mechanism.

Meanwhile, in a separate meeting, Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved a proposal of the TCB to procure 10,000 metric tons (MT) of lentil through open tender process from local supplier Ease General Trading and Nabil Naba Food Products at a total cost of Tk 101.40 crore with each kg at Tk 101.84.

Of these, the EASE Trading will supply 6,000 MT of lentils while Nabil Naba will give the remaining 4,000 MT. The product will be sold through OMS.