Bangladesh has resumed direct trade with Pakistan, marked by the arrival of a 50,000-ton rice shipment from Karachi under a government-to-government agreement. This is the first time in history that the two countries have engaged in direct trade of this scale.

Under the agreement, Bangladesh is purchasing white rice from Pakistan at a rate of $499 per ton through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan. The shipment will be delivered in two phases, with the first 25,000 tons already received and the remaining 25,000 tons expected to arrive in early March.

While the price of Pakistani rice is higher than the $474.25 per ton rate for Vietnamese rice, which Bangladesh has been importing, the deal reflects efforts to diversify sources and stabilize domestic rice prices. Over the past few months, rice prices in Bangladesh have surged by 15-20 percent, prompting the government to expand imports and remove import duties to ease the burden on consumers.

To further address the rising demand, Bangladeshi authorities have invited bids for an additional 50,000 tons of rice to be exported from Pakistan.