USW Work in Bangladesh Designed to Develop Market for HRS and Other Wheat Classes

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is continuing an effort to build demand for U.S. wheat in Bangladesh, where flour mills have recently expressed interest in importing more wheat with stronger gluten for a variety of end products enjoyed by the country’s 171 million consumers.

This month, USW Assistant Regional Director Joe Bippert and Dr. Shahidul Islam, Wheat Quality Specialist at North Dakota State University (NDSU), travelled to the South Asian country to meet with millers and wheat food manufacturers.

Seeking Stronger Wheat

“Bangladesh has relied primarily on Canada to source higher protein wheat, but recent pricing opportunities allowed U.S. hard red spring (HRS) to enter the market showing mills the value of superior performance associated with a spring wheat with stronger gluten,” Bippert said. “We saw an opportunity to introduce Dr. Islam, an HRS wheat expert who is Bangladeshi and can speak the local language. We toured mills and met with millers, explaining the unique characteristics of HRS wheat and exploring opportunities to become a more consistent wheat supplier, even in a competitive price market.”

A small volume of U.S. HRS wheat has moved to Bangladesh so far this marketing year. Bippert and Dr. Islam’s visit was the latest attempt to grow the market.

In September 2023, USW Regional Vice President for South and Southeast Asia Joe Sowers participated in the Bangladesh Wheat Foods Summit, an event organized by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). An FAS initiative to conduct a market assessment of the Bangladeshi wheat food end-products industry inspired the summit.

Sowers was invited to present on USW’s work, the six U.S. wheat classes, and the benefits of U.S. wheat as an ingredient in Bangladeshi wheat foods.

Gaining Insight

Bippert’s recent visit provide insight into the assortment of products coming out of bakeries in Bangladesh, and how U.S. wheat could fit as a primary ingredient. A meeting with the nation’s largest cookie and cracker manufacturer included discussions about how U.S. soft white and soft red winter wheat could not only lead to improved product quality, but also create value due to U.S. wheat’s lower moisture content than what comes with supplies from the Black Sea region.

“It’s been a tough market that has been up and down, but we are very excited about Bangladesh and its potential,” Bippert said. “The country is a significant world wheat importer. And we believe that bringing in world class technical experts like Dr. Islam will help us develop the market and increase sales.”