DHAKA: Import of wheat by Bangladesh is likely to rise five per cent to 4.7 million tonnes by the end of the current fiscal year, according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The import forecast has been raised because new bakery products are expected to drive higher consumption, said USDA in its latest Grain and Feed Update on Bangladesh released last week. Total import of the cereal rose 18 per cent year-on-year to 4.48 million tonnes in fiscal 2015-16, said USDA, citing customs data.
The US agency’s prediction comes at a time when import of the grain is rising. In July to September, wheat imports rose 77 per cent to nearly 1.2 million tonnes year-on-year, according to the food ministry’s data.
