Govt to import 180,000mt of diesel from India

The government has decided to import 180,000 metric tons of diesel from India’s state-owned Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) for the period January to December 2026, at a total cost of Tk 1,461.76 crore.

The funds will be arranged through Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s (BPC) budget and bank loans.

The approval was given at a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement, chaired by Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon.

According to sources at the committee meeting, the proposal to import diesel from NRL was submitted by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and subsequently reviewed and approved by the committee.

The BPC had earlier received policy-level approval for the purchase of refined fuel for 2026 at a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Economic Affairs held on October 22, 2025.

Following negotiations under a term contract, the price for 180,000 metric tons of diesel (0.005% sulfur) was fixed at USD 11,913,321.

In Bangladeshi currency, the cost amounts to Tk 1,461.76 crore.

The import price per barrel of premium diesel is USD 5.50, with a reference price of USD 83.22. India has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh under a 15-year contract since 2016.

Initially, diesel was transported by rail wagons from NRL and from March 18, 2023, imports have been carried out through India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

Responding to questions from journalists on why diesel is being imported from India amid recent IPL-related tensions, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan clarified that the import is being carried out under a pre-existing 15-year contract with NRL, which was agreed upon long before the current situation.