Bangladesh has entered a tougher food situation as India has slapped a ban on export of its wheat, the second important staple food item in Bangladesh. Steadily over the decades, consumption of wheat has increased here as incidence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease has increased with physicians prescribing patients to eat more ‘rootis’ made up of wheat flour than rice. Therefore, if import of wheat becomes difficult and costly for Bangladesh, it will hugely impact the low and middle income groups of people as the spike in soybean oil price has done in recent days.
Due to the unexpected ban by the neighbouring country, the wheat price in Bangladesh has already shot up by 25 per cent with an increase of Tk 300 per maund from Tk 1200 to Tk 1500. Obviously, in the coming weeks, a heightened price for the cereal would be a cause of great concern among the consumers who are already buying wheat flour from the retail market paying more than Tk 5 per kg as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now the wheat market has gone volatile as a direct result of the Russian aggression of Ukraine, for the two warring countries account for 30 per cent of wheat export around the world. Since Bangladesh in recent years has become heavily dependent on cheaper wheat from India, Bangladeshis did not feel the heat of the Ukraine war regarding wheat. Reports say that India’s production of wheat has become uncertain due to excessive hot weather this season and the country has been compelled to take this step of ban.
Whatever may be the reason for India’s shock ban of wheat, a real fear of low production of wheat or taking advantage of global wheat import crisis from Russia and Ukraine to earn more, the fact of the matter is Bangladesh is going to face a hard time ahead for the import of the cereal. While declaring the ban, India said that it has ‘kept the window open for our neighbours’ meaning that Bangladesh can indeed get wheat from India. The ban has been slapped only at the private level, and wheat export is possible at the government level. Bangladesh’s food minister Sunday also confirmed this. But at what price Bangladesh to procure wheat from India?
Bangladesh faced a very difficult time with onion when India banned export of the essential cooking item. Beef is still too costly a food item due to India’s ongoing ban on cow export to Bangladesh. To tackle the current situation with wheat, it is as important for Bangladesh to start talking with India at the government level now as it should explore other sources of wheat import such as Canada, US, Australia, Cyprus, Italy, Argentina, Estonia and Belgium.
