The first U.S. wheat shipment under a new five-year supply deal has departed Texas for Bangladesh, marking a high-profile win for President Donald Trump’s administration in its push to reshape trade relations.
Loaded with 55,000 metric tons of hard red winter wheat, the vessel is expected to arrive in Chattogram by mid-October.
In a deal signed July 20, Bangladesh promised to import 700,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat annually, at $302.75 per ton, part of a broader effort to ease tensions after the Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on Bangladeshi exports.
The deal is seen in Dhaka as a strategic move: buying U.S. wheat is intended to soften the impact of those tariffs and improve bilateral economic ties. U.S. Wheat Associates and Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Food formalized the agreement with much fanfare.