Business Desk :
Russia exported a historically record volume of 3.8 million tons of wheat to Bangladesh in the past fiscal year (July 2023 – June 2024), Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy said on Saturday.
In a statement, the Russian ambassador mentioned that the record export to Bangladesh indicates that supplies of Russian grain that meet global and local quality standards have increased by 1.8 times over the year.
Citing Russian news agency Interfax, Mantytskiy said, “In addition to dry peas and mustard seeds traditionally exported by Russia to Bangladesh, this year we also began supplying dry milk and lentils.”
He, however, alleged that certain “vested quarters” both globally and in Bangladesh are manipulating figures and spreading allegations against Russian grain suppliers, falsely claiming low-quality grain and involvement in corruption schemes.
Russia’s global grain exports reach 30.8 million tonnes The Russian ambassador mentioned that since the start of 2024, Russia has shipped 30.8 million tonnes of grain abroad, marking a 12% increase from the previous year.
“The share of exports to the Global South is also growing, with major destinations including Egypt, Turkey, Iran, and Bangladesh,” he said.
He also stated that the conflict in Ukraine and “illegal” Western sanctions against the Russian Federation have been damaging food security at the global, regional and country levels.
He said, “South Asian states, including Bangladesh, are no exception: disruption of logistics chains in the Black Sea and increased price volatility on grain markets against the backdrop of climate change create risks of new famine hotspots.
“As we can see, particularly in Bangladesh, the policy of sanctions does not lead to the closure of borders.”
Mentioning that Russian mineral fertilisers remain essential for food security in the world, Mantytskiy said Russia holds the fifth share in the global market of mineral fertilisers and as such contributes to greater agricultural production in foreign countries.