Bangladesh has approved the purchase of wheat from the United States and non-basmati parboiled rice from India at a combined cost of Tk 10.44 billion, as part of efforts to ensure food security and stabilise domestic grain supplies.

The cabinet committee on government purchase cleared the proposals at a meeting held at the Secretariat in Dhaka.

Under the first agreement, 220,000 tonnes of wheat will be imported from the US through a government-to-government arrangement. The Directorate General of Food will implement the deal at a cost of Tk 8.25 billion. Agrocorp International Pte Ltd, authorised by US Wheat Associates, will supply the grain at $308 per tonne.

The deal follows an earlier memorandum of understanding between Dhaka and Washington, under which Bangladesh agreed to purchase 700,000 tonnes of wheat annually, valued at about $200 million, to secure tariff concessions from the US.

The second proposal involves the import of 50,000 tonnes of non-basmati parboiled rice from India through an international tender. The contract, worth Tk 219.09 crore, was awarded to Bagadiya Brothers Private Ltd for $359.77 per tonne.

India has recently tightened its rice export regulations, requiring registration with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). Despite these restrictions, Bangladesh continues to be one of the largest importers of Indian non-basmati rice to meet domestic demand.