[🇧🇩] The U.S.A.---A Strategic Partner of Bangladesh

[🇧🇩] The U.S.A.---A Strategic Partner of Bangladesh
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G Bangladesh Defense
I am hoping - once the wheat and aircraft purchases are agreed to - export tariff to US will be reduced to the level India, Vietnam and Indonesia face. Which is ~20%.

The US has no reason to single out Bangladesh with high rate of punitive tariffs, if we play ball (which we will).
Does our economy permit to buy 14 passenger planes from Boeing?
 
Does our economy permit to buy 14 passenger planes from Boeing?

It is a "promise" to buy (or lease) them over like decades. Not to be bought all at once.

Leasing means you pay as you go, with revenue stream from ticket sales, which is always a sure thing in Bangladesh.

Our Biman 737-800s are already getting rather long-in-the-tooth, they need to be replaced with 737 Max-8s, 9s and 10s. Much quieter than the current fleet (737-800) and to be used for anything regional - ranging from Dhaka - Chittagong to Dhaka - Bangkok (around 3 hour hops). Sturdy little suckers. I ride them quite often on local US flights. Quiet, smooth. Handles turbulence quite well.

The 787's and 777's are also due for replacement in another couple of years. These service the Gulf and EU traffic hops.

Plus US Bangla, Novo Air and Air Astra will need these too - besides Biman.

We need "labor-tana" Hawaii Jahaz and lots of them.
 
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US cotton farmers eye direct partnership with Bangladesh
Staff Correspondent 18 July, 2025, 00:02

US cotton producers on Thursday proposed a direct supply arrangement with Bangladesh’s textile sector to bypass middlemen and recover their declining market share amid stalled tariff talks between Dhaka and Washington.

At a strategic dialogue held at The Westin Dhaka, hosted by US-Bangladeshi firm AmeriBangla Corporation, top garment exporters, US cotton growers, and global trade professionals discussed a farmer-to-factory supply chain model.

The goal was to cut costs, ensure long-term supply security, and improve compliance standards.

Currently, US cotton is 5–6 cents per pound more expensive than imports from West Africa or India. But AmeriBangla CEO Aswar Rahman argued that direct sourcing would offset the price gap due to superior quality and lower waste.

US cotton has less than 2 per cent waste, while others have up to 10 per cent. Every 1 per cent waste means a 1.5 per cent production loss, Aswar said.

US cotton’s share in Bangladesh’s total cotton imports has slipped to just 6 per cent in the first seven months of FY25.

To reverse this, US farmers are ready to supply directly, provided Bangladesh allows bonded warehousing and a simplified ordering system.

In return, these politically influential farmers — spread across 17 southern US states — would lobby Congress to reduce tariffs on Bangladeshi garments.

Garment makers welcomed the initiative but emphasised the need for fixed long-term pricing to avoid future hikes.

To back the effort, AmeriBangla plans to open a dedicated showroom featuring apparel made from US cotton.

Participants included top executives from Hamim, Jamuna, Saad, Divine, True, and RPM groups, alongside representatives from Marubeni, BKMEA, Kuehne+Nagel, and AmeriBangla.​
 

2.2 lakh tonnes wheat import from US okayed
Staff Correspondent 23 July, 2025, 22:44

The interim government on Wednesday decided to procure 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat from the United States at Tk 817.57 crore in a bid to avert a high US tariff on Bangladeshi goods.

Although the price is a bit high it will help in the country’s current negotiation with the US over tariff issues, said finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed after approving a proposal from the ministry of food in this regard in a meeting of the advisory council committee on the government purchase at secretariat.

The country needs to diversify sources, he said referring problems created by Yemen in the Red Sea, while describing the reason of importing wheat from the US costing Tk 37.17 per koligram.

A significant portion of the wheat imported from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania reaches in Bangladesh through the Red Sea

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted around 70 merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier, the finance adviser presided over a meeting of the advisory council committee on economic affairs at the same place to approve the lone proposal of buying the wheat from the US under the government-to-government negotiation.

The food ministry’s wheat procurement proposal came three days after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the US to import 7 lakh tonnes of wheat annually for the next five years amid the threat of facing 35 per cent US tariff on its exports from the next month.

The finance adviser admitted that the wheat procurement deal would help the local side in the ongoing negotiation with the United States Trade Representatives over imposition of the tariff effective from August 1.

Dhaka, which is expecting to start the third round of negotiations with Washington soon, wants the settlement of tariff at a tolerable level to safeguard its overall exports to the US market.

The country’s overall exports to the US were $8.4 billion in 2024, with the readymade garments accounting for $7.34 billion. In the year, the country imported US goods worth $2.2 billion.

The country’s annual demand for wheat is around 70 lakh tonnes with private sector importers such as City Group, Meghna Group, Bashundhara Group, Nabil Group, Sheikh Brothers and Sainik Group accounting for around 95 per cent.

The advisory council committee on the government purchase in its meeting also approved procurement of 1.2 lakh tonnes of fertiliser, two cargoes of Liquefied natural Gas and 7,000 tonnes lentil.

The import cost of 1.2 lakh tonnes fertilizer in four lots — 30,000 muriate of potash from Russia, 30,000 tonnes of triple super phosphate from Morocco, 30,000 diamonium phosphate from Moroco and 30,000 tonnes of muriate of potash from Canada — stands at Tk 892.41 crore.

One of the LNG cargos will be supplied by Vitol Asia Pte LTD at Tk 522 crore while the other one by M/S Gunvor Singapre Pte LTD at Tk 513.45 crore.

KBC Agro Product Limited will supply 7,000 tonnes lentil at Tk 64.31 crore with per kg costing Tk 91.88.​
 

2.2 lakh tonnes wheat import from US okayed
Staff Correspondent 23 July, 2025, 22:44

The interim government on Wednesday decided to procure 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat from the United States at Tk 817.57 crore in a bid to avert a high US tariff on Bangladeshi goods.

Although the price is a bit high it will help in the country’s current negotiation with the US over tariff issues, said finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed after approving a proposal from the ministry of food in this regard in a meeting of the advisory council committee on the government purchase at secretariat.

The country needs to diversify sources, he said referring problems created by Yemen in the Red Sea, while describing the reason of importing wheat from the US costing Tk 37.17 per koligram.

A significant portion of the wheat imported from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania reaches in Bangladesh through the Red Sea

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted around 70 merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier, the finance adviser presided over a meeting of the advisory council committee on economic affairs at the same place to approve the lone proposal of buying the wheat from the US under the government-to-government negotiation.

The food ministry’s wheat procurement proposal came three days after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the US to import 7 lakh tonnes of wheat annually for the next five years amid the threat of facing 35 per cent US tariff on its exports from the next month.

The finance adviser admitted that the wheat procurement deal would help the local side in the ongoing negotiation with the United States Trade Representatives over imposition of the tariff effective from August 1.

Dhaka, which is expecting to start the third round of negotiations with Washington soon, wants the settlement of tariff at a tolerable level to safeguard its overall exports to the US market.

The country’s overall exports to the US were $8.4 billion in 2024, with the readymade garments accounting for $7.34 billion. In the year, the country imported US goods worth $2.2 billion.

The country’s annual demand for wheat is around 70 lakh tonnes with private sector importers such as City Group, Meghna Group, Bashundhara Group, Nabil Group, Sheikh Brothers and Sainik Group accounting for around 95 per cent.

The advisory council committee on the government purchase in its meeting also approved procurement of 1.2 lakh tonnes of fertiliser, two cargoes of Liquefied natural Gas and 7,000 tonnes lentil.

The import cost of 1.2 lakh tonnes fertilizer in four lots — 30,000 muriate of potash from Russia, 30,000 tonnes of triple super phosphate from Morocco, 30,000 diamonium phosphate from Moroco and 30,000 tonnes of muriate of potash from Canada — stands at Tk 892.41 crore.

One of the LNG cargos will be supplied by Vitol Asia Pte LTD at Tk 522 crore while the other one by M/S Gunvor Singapre Pte LTD at Tk 513.45 crore.

KBC Agro Product Limited will supply 7,000 tonnes lentil at Tk 64.31 crore with per kg costing Tk 91.88.​

2.2 lakh tonnes is a drop in the bucket as far as our annual demand. Like the story says, annual demand for wheat is around 70 lakh tonnes, most of which is processed locally for loose atta and downstream confectionary products like cookies and cakes.
 
2.2 lakh tonnes is a drop in the bucket as far as our annual demand. Like the story says, annual demand for wheat is around 70 lakh tonnes, most of which is processed locally for loose atta and downstream confectionary products like cookies and cakes.
2.2/70 is about > 3% , it's definitely not a drop in the bucket, more like a jug.
 

Terrorism has no place in Bangladesh: Chief Adviser
UNB Dhaka
Published: 28 Jul 2025, 18: 56

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US Charge d'affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson met with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on 28 July 2025.CA GOB Facebook

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today, Monday reaffirmed his government's unwavering commitment to combating terrorism, declaring that Bangladesh will not allow any terrorist group to operate within its borders.

"Combating terrorism is our top priority. We have zero tolerance for terrorism in Bangladesh. We will exert every effort to eliminate terrorists from our soil," said the chief adviser.

Professor Yunus made these remarks during a meeting with US Charge d'affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson at the State Guest House Jamuna here this afternoon.

During the 40-minute meeting, they discussed matters of mutual interest, including the ongoing tariff negotiations between Bangladesh and the United States.

Charge d'affaires Jacobson reiterated her government's support for Bangladesh's reform efforts and its democratic transition, which is expected to culminate in national elections early next year.

The chief adviser also shared updates on the work of the National Consensus-Building Commission, which is striving to bring political parties together around key reforms.

"I believe the commission is doing an excellent job. The members, led by Professor Ali Riaz, are working diligently," he added.​
 

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