Govt to import 20m litres of soybean oil from Indonesia
07/05/2026 (Jago News 24) - The government has approved the import of 20 million litres of refined soybean oil from Indonesia at a cost of over Tk 282 crore to supply subsidised edible oil under the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) family card programme for low-income households.
The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase held on Thursday, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Officials said the procurement will be carried out through an international open tender process, with implementation handled by TCB under the Ministry of Commerce.
According to official sources, two bids were submitted during the tender process. Following evaluation by the Tender Evaluation Committee (TEC), one proposal was found technically and financially responsive.
Based on the committee’s recommendation, Indonesia-based company PT Trinity Chaya Energy was selected as the supplier.
Under the contract, the company will supply soybean oil at USD 1.151 per litre. The total import cost for 20 million litres stands at USD 23.02 million, equivalent to approximately Tk 282.57 crore.
TCB officials said that after including transportation and other related costs up to the warehouse, the landed cost of soybean oil is Tk 178.56 per litre, which is about Tk 16.44 lower than the current average retail market price of Tk 195 per litre.
Officials added that the move is aimed at stabilising the edible oil market and ensuring affordable supply for low-income consumers through TCB’s distribution network.
For the 2025–26 fiscal year, the government has set a target to import 230 million litres of edible oil, of which 121.68 million litres have already been procured so far, according to official figures.