Amidst IPL controversy, 180,000 tonnes of diesel imported from India: Cost 1,461 crore taka

The government has approved the import of 180,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India's Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) between January and December this year. The total cost of this import has been estimated at 1,461 crore 76 lakh taka. The proposal was approved at a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement held at the Secretariat on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Finance Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

According to the meeting sources, the Energy and Mineral Resources Department presented a proposal to import a specified amount of diesel from India's Numaligarh Refinery for the current year. The Advisory Council Committee reviewed the proposal and approved it considering the necessity and terms of the contract. It is worth noting that the in-principle approval for the import of refined fuel oil by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) for 2026 was already given in the meeting of the Advisory Council on Economic Affairs held on October 22, 2025.

In continuation of this, the decision was taken to import this diesel by fixing the price through negotiations under a term contract for the period from January to December 2026. According to the contract, 180,000 metric tons of diesel with 0.005 percent sulfur will be imported for 119,133,216 US dollars, which is approximately 1,461.76 crore taka in Bangladeshi currency.

According to the terms of the contract, the premium for each barrel of diesel has been fixed at 5.50 US dollars and the reference price has been fixed at 83.22 US dollars. Bangladesh has been regularly importing diesel from Numaligarh Refinery under this 15-year contract since 2016. In addition, direct diesel import from India through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline began on March 18, 2023, which has helped reduce transportation costs and time.

Meanwhile, journalists raised questions about the import of diesel from India in the context of the suspension of IPL broadcasting in Bangladesh after the incident of cricketer Mustafizur Rahman being excluded from the IPL. In this regard, Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, Advisor on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, clarified that the contract to import diesel from Numaligarh is 15 years old. The current government has not renewed it; rather, diesel is being brought as part of regular supply under the previously signed contract.