After several decades, direct trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan has resumed. Authorities in Dhaka have confirmed that they are importing 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan for the first time in many years.
Trade between the two countries restarted in November last year when the first shipment of goods was sent from Karachi to Chattogram.
For years, Bangladeshi private companies have been importing Pakistani rice, but the goods were first routed through third countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, or Singapore before reaching Bangladesh.
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Ziauddin Ahmed, a senior official at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Food, stated, “For the first time, we are importing 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan, and this marks the first government-to-government agreement between the two nations.” In January, Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Food signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pakistan’s State Trading Corporation (TCP) for rice imports.
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Ahmed further added that trade with Pakistan is a positive step forward. In previous years, Bangladeshi authorities had imported rice from India, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Imports of Pakistani rice are crucial for Bangladesh, as the country is one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world. Large parts of Bangladesh consist of deltas formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers flowing into the sea, making it highly susceptible to climate change.
