Bangladesh's wheat import sources have undergone a dramatic shift since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. The change became most evident in the recently concluded 2025-26 fiscal year, when Argentina overtook both Russia and Ukraine to become Bangladesh's largest source of wheat imports for the first time.
According to data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh imported a record 7.434 million tonnes of wheat in the last fiscal year, the highest ever recorded. This marks a 25 per cent increase compared to the previous year, with Argentina accounting for approximately 30 per cent of the total volume.
Russia and Ukraine had long been Bangladesh's two largest wheat suppliers, with one of the two topping the list almost every year. However, disruptions caused by the war prompted importers to seek alternative sources, and within a few years Argentina emerged as the leading supplier.
How Argentina took the lead
Although Argentina had long supplied wheat to Bangladesh, imports from the South American country accelerated after the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It ranked fourth among Bangladesh's wheat suppliers in FY2024-25 before rising to the top in the latest fiscal year.
NBR data show Bangladesh imported 2.2 million tonnes of wheat from Argentina in FY2025-26 at a cost of USD 567 million, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of total imports.
Meanwhile, imports from Russia fell to 1.679 million tonnes or 23 per cent of the total. In FY2024-25, Russia alone had accounted for 44 per cent of Bangladesh's wheat imports.
Argentina has traditionally been one of Bangladesh's major sources of soybean oil. Wheat has now been added to that list on a much larger scale. While only a handful of companies previously imported Argentine wheat, 46 firms sourced wheat from the country in the last fiscal year.
One of them is Delta Agrofood Industries. Its managing director, Amirul Haque, told Prothom Alo, "After the Russia-Ukraine war, uncertainty emerged over wheat imports from those two countries. To reduce supply risks, we selected Argentina and Brazil as alternative sources."
Brazil still lags behind
Bangladesh imports soft wheat mainly from Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Romania, Bulgaria and Brazil. While Argentina has captured much of the market previously dominated by Russia and Ukraine, Brazil has expanded its share at a slower pace.
Bangladesh imported 476,000 tonnes of wheat from Brazil in the last fiscal year, accounting for 6.41 per cent of total imports. In FY2024-25, Brazil's share stood at just 2 per cent, ranking seventh among wheat suppliers. It has now moved up to fifth place.
NBR data show Brazil supplied wheat at the lowest average price during the fiscal year, with imports costing USD 255 per tonne, compared with USD 257 per tonne from Argentina. Despite the slightly lower price, Brazil has yet to become one of Bangladesh's major suppliers.
US returns to the market
Canada, Australia and the United States are the principal sources of high-protein hard wheat. Among them, Canada remains the preferred supplier for Bangladeshi importers.
Bangladesh imported 1.67 million tonnes of wheat from Canada in FY2025-26, accounting for about 22.5 per cent of total imports, making it the country's second-largest wheat supplier.
The United States also returned to Bangladesh's wheat market after several years. No wheat was imported from the US in FY2024-25, but imports reached 744,000 tonnes in the last fiscal year, representing nearly 10 per cent of total imports and making the US the fourth-largest supplier.
The increase was largely driven by government purchases. About 95 per cent of wheat imported from the US was procured by the government, while the remaining 5 per cent was imported by a private company.
Importers say the Russia-Ukraine war has significantly diversified Bangladesh's wheat import sources. Whereas the country once relied heavily on Russia and Ukraine, suppliers such as Argentina, Canada, the United States and Brazil now play a much larger role, reducing supply risks to some extent.
However, global wheat prices and geopolitical developments continue to have a significant impact on Bangladesh's wheat imports.
