US wheat to cost $24/tonne more than open tender rate

Bangladesh will import wheat from the United States at an additional $24 per tonne under a government-to-government (G2G) deal, aiming to comply with US conditions on reducing the bilateral trade deficit to secure tariff benefits.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) yesterday approved procurement of 2.70 lakh tonnes of wheat under the arrangement and an international open tender, according to a finance ministry press statement.

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Singapore-based Agrocorp International Pte Ltd will supply the entire volume. Under the arrangement, the government will import 2.20 lakh tonnes from the US at a total cost of Tk 870 crore, with the price fixed at $322 per tonne.

Separately, the committee approved import of 50,000 tonnes through an international open tender at a total cost of Tk 182.85 crore, or $297.92 per tonne -- about $24 lower than the G2G rate.

The purchase builds on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the government signed with US Wheat Associates (USWA) on July 20, 2025, to import up to 700,000 tonnes of US wheat annually over five years. Bangladesh received its first shipment under the arrangement on October 26, 2025, and had purchased 660,000 tonnes as of March 15, according to the Ministry of Food.

Officials at the ministry said the wheat’s quality exceeded expectations, with protein content of 13.5 percent against a contracted minimum of 11.5 percent, and moisture content and kernel weight also rated highly satisfactory.

If purchases continue near the 700,000-tonne annual mark, Bangladesh is on track to rank among the top ten markets for US wheat over the five-year period.

2 LNG CARGOES FROM SPOT MARKET

The CCGP also cleared a proposal from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to procure two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the international spot market under the Public Procurement Rules 2025, at a total cost of Tk 1,438 crore.

BP Singapore Pte Ltd will supply one cargo at $16.98 per MMBtu (million British thermal units), while UK-based TotalEnergies Gas & Power Ltd will deliver the other at $16.97 per MMBtu.

75,000 TONNES OF MOP FROM RUSSIA, CANADA

To ensure uninterrupted agricultural production, the government approved two proposals to import 75,000 tonnes of Muriate of Potash (MOP) fertiliser through the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation.

Under one proposal, 35,000 tonnes of MOP will be imported from Russia under a state-level contract at a total cost of Tk 164 crore, with a per-tonne price of $380.

Under the second proposal, 40,000 tonnes of MOP will be procured from Canada under an agreement with the Canadian Commercial Corporation at an estimated cost of Tk 187 crore, with per tonne priced at $380.

ROADS TO SEZ TO GET FACELIFT

The CCGP also approved two major work orders to upgrade roads connecting Lakshmipur, Noakhali, and Feni districts with the National Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under the Lakshmipur Road Department of Cumilla Road Zone.

One project has been awarded to Dhaka-based MAH Construction Ltd for Tk 135 crore, while another to a joint venture of Asif Infrastructure Limited and Rimi Nirman Ltd at a contract value of Tk 146 crore.