Falling global prices, policy gaps push wheat imports far beyond demand
The country’s annual wheat demand is around 70 lakh tonnes, while local production meets only about 10 lakh tonnes
More than 22 lakh tonnes of wheat were imported between October and December of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025–2026, marking a 57.66% increase compared to the previous occasion, due to lack of coordination among stakeholders and market monitoring.
The excessive wheat imports flood Chattogram Port, leaving 26 mother vessels loaded with nearly 15 lakh tonnes of wheat stranded at outer anchorage, according to importers and port officials.
Data from the plant quarantine centre at the port shows that the sharp rise, driven mainly by falling international prices and a lack of coordinated government monitoring, has overwhelmed port logistics and exposed structural weaknesses in cargo handling capacity.
Traders say the problem is not the country's dependence on wheat imports, but the simultaneous arrival of excessive consignments, far exceeding actual monthly demand.
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The country's annual wheat demand is around 70 lakh tonnes, while local production meets only about 10 lakh tonnes, forcing it to depend on the import of the remaining 60 lakh tonnes.
However, Bangladesh's monthly consumption is only five to six lakh tonnes, while in recent months, imports have surged almost double at a time, said importers and others.
This difference between demand and arrivals has put a huge pressure on the port, according to the Ship Handling and Berth Operators Association.
According to the Berth Operators, the port currently lacks sufficient lighter vessels to unload cargo from mother ships anchored at the outer harbour. Under normal circumstances, unloading a mother vessel takes 10–12 days, but due to the vessel shortage, the process is now taking more than a month.
As a result, importers are facing mounting demurrage charges, significantly increasing operational costs. Traders warn that if congestion continues, these extra costs will ultimately be a burden on consumers.
Blaming weak policy coordination at the highest level, wheat trader of the country's largest wholesale grain market Khatunganj Mohammad Suman told The Business Standard, "There is no effective control or monitoring over wheat imports. Everyone is importing at will. As a result, ships are stuck at the port, lighter vessels are unavailable, and importers are paying huge demurrage."
"If the government had set limits on how much each importer could bring in based on market demand, this chaos could have been avoided," he added.
Traders also fear that continued unregulated imports could create artificial market instability, pushing some businesses towards financial trouble despite relatively low global wheat prices.
Offering a different explanation, Saiful Alam, import representative of Nabil Group, said the surge was partly driven by seasonal and logistical factors.
"Traders increased imports ahead of Ramadan to keep the market stable," he said. "In addition, shipments from Russia and Argentina were delayed in August and September due to natural disasters. Those consignments arrived later, mostly in November and December."
He added that actual consumption remains around six to seven lakh tonnes per month while imports temporarily exceed demand.
Attempts to seek clarity from government agencies revealed a lack of clear ownership over the issue. The Chief Controller of Imports and Exports at the Ministry of Commerce referred queries to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), which then redirected responsibility across several departments.
Downplaying concerns, Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal, director of the Field Services Wing of the DAE, said wheat remains an import-dependent commodity.
"Wheat is imported throughout the year," he told this newspaper. "Private importers bring wheat based on their capacity and store it in warehouses. Imports alone will not destabilise the market."
He added that decisions on regulating imports depend on the government's assessment of demand and overall market conditions.
During a recent visit to the Khatunganj, this correspondent found that Russian and Brazilian wheat are selling at Tk1,240–1,260 per maund, while Canadian wheat is priced higher at Tk1,370–1,400 per maund.
Traders, however, fear that the long-time port congestion and rising logistics costs could push prices upward in the coming months.
According to the port data, in October 2025, wheat imports stood at 4.64 lakh tonnes, more than double the 2.18 lakh tonnes imported in October 2024—a 112.77% year-on-year increase.
November 2025 recorded the highest single-month import volume of the FY, with 9.37 lakh tonnes, up 102.5% from a year earlier. Imports remained elevated in December, rising 12.28% year-on-year to 8.11 lakh tonnes.
Overall, during the first six months of FY2025–26 (July–December), Bangladesh imported over 32.48 lakh tonnes of wheat, underscoring traders' concerns that without coordinated import planning and stronger monitoring, port congestion and cost pressures may continue to disrupt the supply chain.
