U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Helen LaFave and the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service Daniel Whitley celebrated 50 years of Food and Friendship during the inaugural session of the U.S.-Bangladesh virtual market showcase, on June 21 and 22.
The showcase offered U.S. exporters an opportunity to meet with Bangladeshi distributors and importers of consumer-oriented food and beverage products.
In 2020, Bangladesh imported over $1 billion (Tk 9,300 crore) of agricultural and food products from the United States. U.S. exporters are looking to Bangladesh as a new market for exporters of tree nuts, bakery ingredients, snacks, fruit juices, and condiments, especially as the economy and middle-class grows and consumption patterns shift to higher value products and Bangladesh’s young population increases consumer spending on food and restaurants, the embassy said.
“I am pleased demand is growing for U.S. products in Bangladesh’s expanding food sector, as consumers recognize the high quality of our products and the reliability of our companies,” said LaFave.
“Our market share will keep growing because U.S. industry is continuously innovating to serve our customers better, both in Bangladesh and around the globe, and provide affordable and healthy food.” This event was the first of its kind in Bangladesh. In addition to this virtual market showcase, the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service is conducting other activities, such as trade capacity building programs and exchange programs, to build and strengthen commercial ties between the United States and Bangladesh.