Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr. Lilly Nicholls on Tuesday said they are proud to be contributing to Bangladesh’s food security efforts noting that Canadian wheat is the best quality in the world.

She said Canada is one of the top exporters of high-quality wheat to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is an important market for Canadian agricultural products.

The High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh and Cereals Canada officially launched “Cereals Canada’s Guide to Milling, Analytical Testing and Baking of Canadian Wheat” in Bangla and English.

The release of the latest Canadian wheat milling handbook will help millers and bakers how best to use Canadian wheat and flour to make high-quality food products.

In 2021, Canada exported over US$793 million in products to Bangladesh, over US$628 million of which was agriculture products, according to the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka.

Wheat is an important element in these exports, and Bangladesh is Canada’s seventh-largest customer for its high quality wheat, it said.

Canada exported 875,000 tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh in 2021. Canadian Western Red Spring wheat has become the most popular wheat for the Bangladeshi flour market.

“High-quality Canadian wheat remains an important ingredient in Bangladesh wheat-based foods. Bangladesh is an important market for Canada’s wheat sector and demand growth is expected to continue through the next decade,” says Dean Dias, chief executive officer with Cereals Canada.

Elaine Sopiwnyk, Vice-President; Norbert Cabral, Manager of Milling; Kristina Pizzi, Manager of Analytical Services; Karen Pitura, Technical Specialist, End-products (Baking); and Leif Carlson, Market and Trade Specialist Technical Services from Cereals Canada delivered presentations on topics including milling technology, different types of tests for wheat and flour quality control, baking, and the overall wheat market outlook.

Representatives from local companies including City Group, Meghna Group, TK Group, Bashundhara Food & Beverage Industries Ltd, ACI, PRAN-RFL Group, Akij Group, Cooper’s Bakery Bangladesh and CanCham Bangladesh were present at the knowledge sharing session.