The MV Mariam ship carrying 26,250 tonnes of Atap rice from Pakistan has arrived at Chittagong Port, Bangladesh’s Food Ministry confirmed on Saturday. This marks the final shipment of 50,000 tonnes of rice purchased under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on January 31 between the Directorate of Food, Bangladesh, and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan.
Rice Unloading Process Begins
According to reports, the MV Mariam reached the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port on March 11 and docked at a port jetty on Friday. Following a quality test of the rice samples, unloading operations commenced on Friday evening.
This shipment follows the first batch of 26,250 tonnes, which arrived in Bangladesh on March 5. The entire import is part of a government-to-government (G-to-G) agreement between the two nations.
Rice Import Figures and Timeline
Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Food Inspector at the Chittagong Movement and Storage Regulatory Office, stated that approximately 3,000 metric tons of rice can be unloaded daily. At this rate, the current shipment will take around eight days to complete.
In February, Chittagong Port handled the unloading of 93,783 metric tons of rice imported from India and Myanmar.
Historic Trade Between Bangladesh and Pakistan
This rice deal is significant as it marks the first government-to-government rice purchase from Pakistan since Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971. The agreement signals growing trade cooperation between the two nations in the agricultural sector.
Bangladesh continues to import rice to stabilize domestic supply and ensure food security, with India and Myanmar remaining its primary suppliers. The latest shipment from Pakistan adds to the country’s food stock and supports ongoing efforts to manage grain reserves.
