Bangladesh

Soybeans

Unlike neighboring India, Bangladesh is not a soybean growing country, although farmers do cultivate in a minor sort of way an inferior variety of soybean (low oil and protein content), which is mainly used as full fat soybean in the poultry industry.  With the startup of solvent extraction operations in Bangladesh, a demand has arisen for high protein content soybeans.  It is predicted that within the next 2-3 years, total demand for commodity soybeans might well reach 500,000 – 600,000 MT per year.

Currently, City Group owns the largest extraction operation in the country.  City Group is importing soybeans mainly from Argentina.  The Chittagong based S Alam Group has a comparatively smaller operation and has used US grown soybean. Another one or two solvent extraction plants were expected to come on-line, but these plans appear to have been delayed.

Our Program

From the very beginning of its presence in Bangladesh (2000), USSEC/ASA-IM has been working with local entrepreneurs to realize the establishment of solvent extraction capability.   For example, in 2003, under the Cochran Fellowship Program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), USSEC/ASA-IM sent three participants to Texas A&M University, USA for a short course on solvent extraction.  USSEC/ASA-IM continues to work with the City Seed Crushing Industry and the S Alam Group to facilitate US soybean imports.  USSEC/ASA-IM also maintains close relationships with other companies working to establish solvent extraction plants in Bangladesh, and is coordinating with them as well – and with the USDA – to develop market channels for US grown soybeans. USSEC/ASA-IM is also working to develop a market for -grown food grade soybeans as raw material for soymilk and other soyfood industries.

(updated 07 July 2008)