Bangladesh set to sign wheat import deal with Ukraine

Talha Bin Habib | Published: March 02, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Bangladesh is set to sign wheat import deal with Ukraine during the meeting between food officials and the delegation from Kiev in Dhaka today (Monday), officials said.
To push the move forward a three-member Ukrainian delegation lead by Oleg Shchurin will arrive today in the capital.
They will hold a meeting with the Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Food for finalising to import 2,50,000 tonnes of wheat.
The Ukrainian delegation will also meet food minister Advocate Quamrul Islam. Â
The import will be on government to government (G to G) basis. The price of wheat is likely to be fixed today. But it is widely perceived that it may be around US $ 304 per tonne. Â
Earlier to enhance wheat shipment, the food ministry has sent contract paper with counter sign to Ukraine recently for getting their response.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam visited Ukraine from August 31 to September 3, 2014 and had meetings with the Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry.
As a follow up, a government delegation from Ukraine visited the country on September 15, 2014 and held meetings with the Director General (DG) of Food from September 17 to 18 last and signed Agreed Minutes of the Meeting.
The duration for completing shipment will be 150 days from the date of signing the agreement.
The Cabinet Committee on Purchase gave approval to the food ministry for importing wheat import after getting green signal from the Prime Minister's Office.
The first shipment of wheat will begin within 60 days of signing of the agreement. The consignment will arrive at Chittagong and Mongla ports.
The average annual production of wheat in the country is 1.0 million tonnes against the total demand of 3.5 million tonnes.
The country is now importing wheat from Brazil through tender. Per tonne of wheat is fixed between US $ 265 and $ 275.
"We already have stored 1,00,000 tonnes of imported wheat at our silos. More 1,00,000 tonnes will arrive in the country shortly,"Â a high official of the ministry of food who is involves in the process told the FE Sunday.
Apart from stocking wheat internally, the government is also planning to import wheat form other alternative international sources. There will be more tenders for importing wheat from different sources, the food official said.
The total rice stock in the country is now 1.99 million tonnes while wheat is about 69,000 tonnes at the public silos and warehouses, according to the MoF.
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