CHATTOGRAM, Nov 10: A ship which arrived at Chittagong Port from Ukraine will start unloading 52500 MT wheat after getting official nod following a test at a government-designated lab, officials said.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) officials said the vessel, MV Magnum Fortune, with 52,500 MT wheat imported from Ukraine, arrived at the port at around 7:00pm on Wednesday.
Confirming arrival of the wheat-loaded ship, Md Abdul Quader, Controller of Food (Storage and Movement) said that unloading of the imported wheat from the vessel will start at the port after obtaining clearance from the concerned department after examining the grain at an authorised testing laboratory.
He also said that another ship from Europe loaded with more than 0.1 million MT wheat from Russia arrived at Chittagong Port for unloading last week.
Contacted, CPA secretary Omar Faruk said wheat is usually imported in Bangladesh from different countries, including Ukraine, through Chittagong Port.
"A total of 5 ships loaded with imported wheat reached Chittagong Port in 7 days from October 27 to November 02. On Wednesday MV Magnum Fortune loaded with 52,500 MT wheat anchored at the port. So no wheat crisis exists in the country at present. The ships will unload wheat within the 2 or 3 days," he further stated.
Market sources said, wheat prices, which went up in the country soon after Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 this year, has started to decrease in the current week after arrival of the Russian wheat-loaded ship and four other vessels in Chattogram in the last several days. There is no possibility that Bangladesh will be facing wheat or flour crisis at least for the next few months, a trader at Khatunganj said.
While visiting different wholesale markets in the city, including Khatunganj, on Thursday, this correspondent found that price of wheat (Ukrainian) was Tk 1,880 a mound which was Tk 1,950 last week. The price of wheat (Canada) was Tk 2,000 per mound at the same wholesale markets on Thursday which was Tk 2050 seven days ago.
Flour, which is made from wheat, also witnessed a downturn in price at the local retail markets. Flour was retailed at Tk 70 a kg on Thursday while the price was Tk 75 a week back.
Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Mahbubul Alam said, "The Russia-Ukraine war triggered worldwide crisis (of food). We are also facing the problem. Earlier, prices of wheat and flour increased in the local market because of the war. Now, ships loaded with (imported) wheat are arriving at the Chittagong Port on a regular basis since last month. So, the crisis will be over shortly."
nazim07@yahoo.com