Bangladesh’s Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase has approved the purchase of about 220,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat under a government-to-government deal aimed at easing trade tensions with Washington following the import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration. According to officials, the wheat — priced at $308 per ton — will be supplied through Agrocorp International, a Singapore-based trading house authorized by U.S. Wheat Associates.
The deal follows a memorandum of understanding signed in July, under which Bangladesh will import 700,000 tons of U.S. wheat annually for the next five years. The agreement is part of Dhaka’s effort to diversify its grain sources and strengthen trade ties with the United States, reducing dependence on lower-cost wheat from the Black Sea region.
Bangladesh currently relies heavily on Black Sea suppliers for cheaper wheat, while importing smaller volumes of higher-quality grain from the United States and Canada for blending and milling improvement. In previous years, the country also received U.S. wheat and other grains as food aid through USAID, a program that was discontinued earlier this year after the agency’s dissolution by the Trump administration.
Officials said the latest deal is part of a broader strategy to reduce Bangladesh’s $6 billion trade deficit with the United States and to seek more favorable treatment for key export sectors, particularly ready-made garments, which dominate the country’s exports to the U.S. market.
In addition to wheat purchases, Dhaka is expanding imports of agricultural commodities such as soybeans and cotton, and has ordered 25 Boeing aircraft. The committee also approved the purchase of 50,000 tons of rice from India at $359.77 per ton through an international tender, as part of efforts to stabilize domestic rice prices.
