Bangladesh's wheat imports hit record 7.33 million tonnes

Bangladesh imported a record 7.33 million tonnes of wheat in the fiscal year that ended in June, as a collapse in global wheat prices after the Russia-Ukraine war and a growing appetite for wheat-based foods pushed imports to their highest level on record.

The volume marks an 18% increase from the previous fiscal year's 6.24 million tonnes, according to Ministry of Food data.

Officials and industry executives say the surge reflects two major shifts: international wheat prices have fallen to nearly half their 2022 peak, while Bangladeshis are increasingly replacing rice with bread, biscuits, noodles and other wheat-based foods amid changing lifestyles and greater health awareness.

Government data show the private sector drove most of the increase.

Private companies imported 6.58 million tonnes of wheat during the fiscal year, while the government imported 751,000 tonnes. A year earlier, private imports stood at 5.77 million tonnes and government purchases at 466,000 tonnes.

The latest figure also surpasses the previous record of 6.63 million tonnes set in FY2022-23.

The import boom comes after one of the sharpest reversals in global wheat prices in recent years.

According to the World Bank's Commodity Price Pink Sheet, wheat prices surged to historic highs in May 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, disrupting exports from two of the world's largest grain suppliers.

U.S. Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat climbed to $522 a tonne, while Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat reached $438 a tonne, compared with $315 and $281, respectively, in 2021.

Prices have steadily retreated since 2023.

By August 2025, HRW wheat had fallen to $231 a tonne and SRW wheat to $200. The latest June prices stood at $286and $237, respectively—still roughly half the wartime peak.

Officials say cheaper imports have encouraged both the government and private traders to increase purchases.

"During the Russia-Ukraine war, wheat prices rose abnormally, causing imports to decline significantly," Dr FH Ansari, Managing Director of ACI Agrolink Ltd, told Daily Waadaa.

"Now that prices have fallen, imports have increased again."

Ansari said demand has also been supported by a gradual shift in consumer preferences.

"People are becoming increasingly interested in wheat-based foods instead of rice. Greater health awareness is also contributing to higher wheat consumption," he said.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh consumes around 7 million tonnes of wheat every year. Domestic farms produce only 1 million to 1.2 million tonnes, forcing the country to rely heavily on imports.

The Department of Agricultural Extension said wheat production reached 1.124 million tonnes in the latest fiscal year, up from 1.041 million tonnes a year earlier.

The country's expanding bakery industry has become one of the biggest drivers of demand. Industry estimates value Bangladesh's bakery market at around 15,000 crore taka (150 billion taka), although no official statistics are available. 

The sector includes roughly 7,000 manual and automated bakeries, employs about one million people, and has nearly 1,000 bakeries in Dhaka alone. 

Large corporate groups have also entered the business in recent years, further increasing wheat consumption.

Beyond bread, wheat is increasingly used to manufacture noodles, biscuits, chanachur, frozen foods, snacks, confectionery, dry foods and other processed products that are sold domestically and exported.

Mohammad Rezaul Haque Rezu, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Bread, Biscuit and Confectionery Manufacturers Association and owner of Haque Bakery, said the industry's recovery has also boosted imports.

"Many bakeries shut down during COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war," he told Daily Waadaa.

"Previously, most wheat came from Russia and Ukraine. Now imports are coming from many other countries."

He said demand continues to expand as younger consumers increasingly favour bakery products and street food.

"The bakery industry is constantly introducing new varieties, which is increasing demand. Many people are also eating less rice because of diabetes. Overall wheat consumption is rising."

The shift in eating habits is also reflected in official household consumption data.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022, published in 2023, average daily wheat consumption rose from 19.8 grams per person in 2016 to 22.9 grams in 2022, an increase of 15.65%.

In urban areas, wheat consumption climbed by nearly 26%, while per capita rice consumption fell by 10.43% over the same period.

Mohammad Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, Joint Secretary responsible for procurement at the Ministry of Food, said the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) determines annual wheat requirements based on domestic production before deciding import volumes.

"The government targets imports of around 800,000 tonnes every year," he told Daily Waadaa.

"Wheat is imported mainly from the United States and Russia, while additional supplies are procured through open international tenders."

He said imported wheat is distributed through the government's Open Market Sale (OMS) programme and other food support schemes, while authorities also maintain a strategic reserve of about 200,000 tonnes.

"The country's demand for wheat has increased substantially. That is why private sector imports have also risen significantly," he said.

Agricultural economist Dr Jahangir Alam Khan said Bangladesh's import surge reflects normal market adjustment following the extraordinary price shock caused by the war.

"When international wheat prices soared during the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh's imports fell sharply," he told Daily Waadaa.

"As prices declined, imports increased again."

Khan said Bangladesh also has significant untapped production potential.

"The country once produced nearly 1.9 million tonnes of wheat annually. Production has now fallen to around 1.1-1.2 million tonnes. With improved varieties, Bangladesh could raise output to around 2 million tonnes," he said.

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