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US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen visited Chattogram port to reinforce commercial cooperation and strengthen bilateral ties.
On January 26, Ambassador Christensen joined Chattogram Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman and Secretary of Food Md Firoz Sarker to mark the arrival of nearly 60,000 metric tons of high-quality US wheat, part of a larger shipment exceeding 173,000 metric tons --nearly 115,000 metric tons of soft white from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and nearly 60,000 metric tons of hard red winter wheat Montana and Nebraska. Taken together, these three shipments represent a critical supply of high protein nutritious grain as Bangladesh grows only 13% of its wheat consumption annually. These historic deliveries reflect Bangladesh's growing role as a key market for American agricultural exports. In July 2025, Bangladesh's Ministry of Food (MOF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Department of Agriculture- nominated trade association for wheat farmers, US Wheat Association (USWA), to purchase up to 700,000 MT US wheat annually until 2030. Under this MOU, Bangladesh has purchased approximately 660,000 MT of US wheat from a major international commodity trader AgroCorp in three sales, with over 350,000 metric tons already delivered. This agreement supports American prosperity by creating new opportunities for US farmers and businesses while ensuring a supply of nutritious wheat for the people of Bangladesh. Earlier on November 5, a consortium of Bangladesh's top three soy crushing companies, Meghna Group, City Group, and Delta Agro, committed to the purchase of USD 1 billion of US soybeans over the following twelve months, a spokesperson to the US Embassy in Dhaka said. "The landmark agreement with the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), a trade association representing the interests of US soybean farmers abroad, signals a growing export market for high-quality US agricultural products in Bangladesh", said Poornima Rai, spokesperson to the US Mission in Bangladesh. "US Charge d'Affaires Tracey Jacobson welcomed the agreement, underscoring Bangladesh's increasing significance as a key market for US exports and noting that US soybean sales to Bangladesh are expected to triple as a result of this agreement", she added. (ANI)
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