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Food Advisor Ali Imam Majumdar has expressed hope that the ongoing tension with India “will not have any impact” on Bangladesh’s food grain imports.
Speaking at a press conference on the country’s food stock situation at the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon, the advisor faced repeated questions about the possibility of disruptions to imports from India.
Asked what would happen if India imposed an export ban on food grains to Bangladesh, Ali Imam said the government remained optimistic.
“We are always thinking positively about these issues. We believe that politics and market considerations will not come into play in this matter,” he said.
Relations between Bangladesh and India have been strained since the change of power following the mass uprising in 2024.
However, the presence of Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the funeral of former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been seen as a gesture towards easing tensions.
On Jan 2, speaking at an event in Chennai, Jaishankar also sounded a hopeful note on bilateral ties.
He said neighbourly relations in the region would “further strengthen” once the situation in Bangladesh returns to “normal” through elections.
The Indian prime minister has also conveyed a message of unity between the two countries, although recent developments including the exclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL have fuelled debate.
Citing security concerns, Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul has directed the Bangladesh Cricket Board to write to the ICC seeking to move Bangladesh’s matches in the upcoming World Cup from India to Sri Lanka.
Against this backdrop, food imports became a recurring topic at Sunday’s press conference.
RESERVES HAVE ‘CAPACITY’
Ali Imam said Bangladesh currently has sufficient food grain reserves and the capacity to manage any short-term challenges.
“Even then, you can see that we have stocks. Supplies are still coming from our neighbouring countries,” he said.
He noted that rice imports were continuing from multiple sources, including Pakistan, Myanmar and Vietnam, alongside government-to-government purchases.
“Rice is coming from Pakistan, from Myanmar, from Vietnam. We are getting rice from several countries on a G-to-G basis,” he added.
When pressed again on the possibility of import disruptions, the food advisor said trade realities made such a scenario unlikely.
“They have to sell too, they cannot sit on excess rice. We have to buy it too. Import and export are interdependent,” he said.
“I believe politics cannot come into the field of trade and commerce.”
Presenting official figures, Ali Imam said the current food stock situation was “satisfactory”.
According to him, government food warehouses now hold 2,027,420 metric tonnes of food grains, including 1,696,787 tonnes of rice, 233,224 tonnes of wheat, and 907,409 tonnes of paddy.
Based on these reserves, he said there was “no fear” of a rise in rice prices in the domestic market.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to import around 150,000 tonnes of rice from India in three phases from November to help stabilise prices.
Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed said the decision was taken to keep the market stable.