The government has approved about 1.1 million tonnes of fertiliser imports across state and private channels to secure an uninterrupted supply for agricultural production.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the procurement on Wednesday at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. State entities will import 155,000 tonnes, while private firms will handle 920,000 tonnes.

Under a contract between the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Russia’s JSC, 35,000 tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP) will be imported for BDT 1.66 billion, or $383.80 per tonne.

Separately, 14 private firms will import 220,000 tonnes of MOP from Russia, Canada and Belarus at a combined cost of $87.77 million, or $398.97 per tonne.

The committee also approved three proposals for diammonium phosphate (DAP). BADC will procure 80,000 tonnes of DAP from Morocco’s state-owned OCP Nutricrops in two equal consignments of 40,000 tonnes. In addition, 19 private importers will source 500,000 tonnes of DAP from Morocco, Russia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Tunisia.

For triple superphosphate (TSP), 10 private firms were cleared to import 200,000 tonnes from Lebanon, Bulgaria, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia at a total cost of $151.2 million, or $756 per tonne.

Following a proposal from the industries ministry, the government also approved the import of 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Saudi Arabia’s Sabic Agri-Nutrients. The fifth-consignment procurement is valued at BDT 1.93 billion, or $391.66 per tonne.

According to the agriculture ministry, the government is prioritising timely purchases at fair international market prices and has strengthened efforts to bring in large fertiliser shipments through private importers alongside regular government lots.