First US wheat shipment to Bangladesh departs under new MoU, expected to arrive Ctg in mid-October
The ship, which departed over the weekend of 30-31 August, was loaded with 55,000 metric tons or 2.2 million bushels of hard red winter wheat at ADM Corpus Christi
The first vessel carrying US wheat to Bangladesh under a new five-year supply agreement has set sail from Corpus Christi, Texas. The vessel is expected to arrive in Chattogram port by the middle of October.
The ship, which departed over the weekend of 30–31 August, was loaded with 55,000 metric tons or 2.2 million bushels of hard red winter wheat at ADM Corpus Christi.
The voyage to Chattogram port is expected to take about 40 days.
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Confirming the shipment, Md Moniruzzaman, director (procurement) of Directorate of Food, told The Business Standard, "The first shipment is expected to arrive in Chattogram Port by the middle of October."
"In the first deal, we procured 2.2 lakh tonnes of wheat at $302.75 per tonne. At the end of this deal we will sign a new deal at a new price", he added.
Two more vessels carrying hard red winter wheat and one vessel carrying soft white wheat are scheduled to load soon, Moniruzzaman said.
The shipment is the first under a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 20 July in Dhaka between Bangladesh's Directorate General of Food and US Wheat Associates, the overseas marketing arm of the American wheat industry. Director General Md Abul Hasanath Humayun Kabir signed the agreement on behalf of Bangladesh, while Joe Sowers, USW's Regional Vice President for South and Southeast Asia, represented the United States.
The signing ceremony was attended by Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder, US Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, and senior officials from both the Ministry of Food and the US Department of Agriculture.
Under the deal, Bangladesh will import 700,000 metric tons of US wheat annually for the next five years. Officials said the agreement was designed to ensure a stable supply of high-quality wheat to Bangladesh, while also providing US farmers with a reliable export market. The MoU also comes at a time when Bangladesh is seeking to ease trade tensions with Washington and secure long-term grain supplies amid global market volatility.
