Bangladesh Proposes Russian-Financed Wheat Silo at Payra Port

Bangladesh’s Food Minister Afroza Khanam has proposed building a wheat silo with Russian financing on unused land at Payra Sea Port in Patuakhali, with capacity phased from 2 lakh to 5 lakh metric tonnes. The proposal came during a courtesy call by Russian Ambassador Alexander Khozin in Dhaka, who separately suggested exporting wheat to Bangladesh on a government-to-government basis.

The move, if it proceeds, would tie together three things the Bay of Bengal trade has struggled to align: bulk grain import capacity, port-adjacent storage, and a financing structure that does not depend on Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves.

The Russian side put forward two ideas. First, a G2G wheat export arrangement, under which Russia would supply wheat directly to the Bangladesh government. Second, construction of a wheat silo at Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar with Russian financing.

The Food Minister responded that suitable land for infrastructure of that scale is scarce in the Cox’s Bazar area, and proposed Payra Sea Port as an alternative. She noted that the necessary port infrastructure and communication links already exist at Payra, making it a more practical site for a large-capacity silo.

This story was originally published by Maritime Gateway. Read the full story at Maritime Gateway →