Bangladesh government suggested to import sugar from India

10-Feb-2025 02:34 PM

The suggestion from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi to import sugar from India highlights an ongoing issue with sugar supply in Bangladesh.

India’s recent decision to allow the export of 10 lakh tonnes of sugar for the 2024-25 marketing season has created an opportunity for countries like Bangladesh to meet their domestic needs.

The fact that Bangladesh faces a sugar shortage, especially in light of its low production capacity, has made this export option an appealing one.

With only five operational refineries producing around 30 lakh tonnes annually, Bangladesh still struggles to meet domestic demand, particularly during the peak consumption period like Ramadan.

This shortage has made imports essential. The Bangladesh High Commission has formally recommended that the Ministry of Commerce and related authorities in Bangladesh consider importing sugar from India, thus ensuring a stable supply.

In the past, India had set a much larger export quota of 60 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, but this was reduced significantly in the current marketing season due to industry pressures.

Nonetheless, the allocation of 10 lakh tonnes still presents an opportunity for Bangladesh to secure the necessary imports.

This move would not only help address the immediate sugar shortage but could also lead to long-term benefits if the supply chain between the two countries is strengthened.

It will be interesting to see how quickly Bangladesh proceeds with the formal process of engaging Indian export agencies to secure the sugar imports.