Bangladesh risks renewed pressure on food prices as Russian attacks on Ukraine’s ports and grain export routes threaten global wheat supplies, with the country’s heavy dependence on imports leaving consumers vulnerable to rising costs and supply disruptions, the European Union and eight Western envoys in Dhaka have warned.
With wheat the country’s second-most-consumed cereal and more than 80 per cent of its wheat-based food needs met through imports, any prolonged disruption to international supplies could increase import costs and put further pressure on domestic food markets.
The warning comes amid persistently high inflation, raising concerns about the impact on household budgets if global grain prices rise further.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the diplomats said attacks on Ukraine’s food export infrastructure were disrupting international trade and tightening global markets, with consequences extending far beyond the war zone.
“The world must not allow food to become yet another weapon of war,” they said, calling for a ceasefire leading to a just and lasting peace to end Ukrainians’ suffering and stabilise the global food system.
The statement was issued by Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Bangladesh Michael Miller, British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke, Canadian High Commissioner Ajit Singh, Danish Ambassador Christian Brix Møller, French Ambassador Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, German Ambassador Dr Rüdiger Lotz, Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, Dutch Ambassador Joris van Bommel and Norwegian Ambassador Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen.
The envoys said Russia was choking off Ukraine’s ability to export food through the Black Sea, the Danube River and overland corridors. They described strikes on ports, warehouses, inland logistics, shipping and agricultural infrastructure as an assault on global food security, disrupting trade, energy and fertiliser markets.
“One of the world’s most important grain routes is again under attack at a time when 7.8 percent of the world’s population faces hunger,” the statement said.
“When grain cannot leave Ukraine, global markets tighten, prices rise and vulnerable countries pay the price,” it added.
Past disruptions offer a warning
Bangladesh has already experienced the domestic effects of disruptions to grain supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The envoys recalled that the supply shock four years ago quickly increased the country’s wheat import costs and pushed up local prices of wheat and wheat-based foods.
A fresh rise in international prices could again raise the cost of importing wheat and put pressure on prices of flour and other wheat-based staples. For households already coping with high living costs, further increases could erode purchasing power and make food affordability more difficult.
The diplomats warned that Bangladesh’s reliance on imports left it exposed not only to disruptions in major wheat-producing countries but also to instability along international shipping routes.
The risks extend beyond food supplies. Disruptions to maritime transport, energy markets, trade flows and humanitarian logistics can transmit economic shocks across borders, the statement said, pointing to the concurrent crisis in the Middle East as another source of international uncertainty.
Ukraine’s storage crisis could deepen shortages
The envoys said the timing of the attacks was particularly damaging as Ukraine entered its harvest season in August. Strikes on transport routes and export facilities had left grain, oilseeds and other agricultural products trapped inside the country.
Grain exports in August were half the level recorded in 2025, while international prices had already reacted to the disruption, the statement said.
The pressure could intensify in the coming months. Ukraine risks running out of storage capacity in October, and more than nine million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and meal could remain without available storage by November.
A harvest capable of feeding millions could instead be left stranded. If farmers cannot sell their crops, they will have fewer resources to finance the next sowing season, potentially reducing future production and extending supply pressures into next year.
The statement noted that an estimated 645 million people worldwide already face hunger, warning that disruptions to major food-export routes could compound existing vulnerabilities.
Envoys urge end to attacks on trade routes
The diplomats argued that Russia had understood the wider consequences of its actions from the outset, maintaining that the weaponisation of food insecurity had been part of its broader strategy since the start of its full-scale war against Ukraine.
“If Russia ends its war and stops attacking Ukraine’s trade lifelines, the benefits will be felt far beyond Europe, including in Bangladesh, where food security depends not only on what is grown at home, but on what can safely move across the sea,” the statement said.
“By targeting Ukraine’s export routes, Russia is not only trying to weaken Kyiv. It is also testing how much pressure the rest of the world will tolerate when food becomes collateral damage. Bangladesh is part of the collateral damage,” it added.