Bangladesh Soybean Cultivation Can Cut $2.5 Billion Edible Oil Import Bill

Dhaka, August 17, 2026 — Bangladesh can reduce its heavy reliance on imported edible oil and animal feed by expanding soybean cultivation and strengthening the domestic value chain, speakers said at a roundtable titled “Charting the Path of Nutrition Security: Bridging the Protein Gap through Multi-dimensional Use of Soybean.” The event, jointly organised by Solidaridad Network Asia and The Daily Star, highlighted a significant opportunity to cut Bangladesh's $2.5 billion annual edible oil import bill.

📊 The Import Dependence Reality

The scale of Bangladesh's edible oil and feed import dependence is striking:

• 💰 93 percent of edible oil imported — Bangladesh imports almost all its edible oil
• 💰 $2.5 billion annually — spent on edible oil imports
• 📦 24-28 lakh tonnes — soybean and soybean meal imported yearly for feed industry
• 📉 7-8 percent domestic production — local production meets only a fraction of demand
• 📈 1 crore tonnes by 2030 — projected soybean requirement

Mohammad Moziball Hoque, head of supply chain and private sector engagement at Solidaridad Network Asia, presented the keynote highlighting these figures. The roundtable was supported by the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs and HSBC Bangladesh, and moderated by Tanjim Ferdous, head of strategic partnerships at The Daily Star.

🍚 Soybean as Food and Feed: 40%+ Protein

Prof Jahedur Rahman, pro-vice chancellor of Gazipur Agricultural University, said soybean should be seen as both a food and feed source, given its more than 40 percent protein content. “We need quality seeds, mechanisation and greater farmer awareness,” he said, calling for stronger public-private collaboration.

🎯 Realistic Target: 25% Domestic Production

Prof Abdul Karim of International University of Business Agriculture and Technology said Bangladesh's soybean requirement could reach 1 crore (10 million) tonnes by 2030. “A target of meeting at least 25 percent of our requirement from domestic production is realistic,” he said, pointing to the southern coastal belt and newly emerging land as key growth areas.

He identified several priorities for achieving the 25 percent target:

• 🌾 Southern coastal belt — key growth area for soybean cultivation
• 📜 Newly emerging land — char lands suitable for soybean
• 🔇 Quality seed production — BADC alone cannot meet seed demand
• 👥 Private entrepreneurs — needed for commercial seed production
• 🤝 Buyback guarantee models — linking academia, industry, and farmers

🚧 Caution: Not Full Self-Sufficiency

Osman Haruni, senior policy advisor at the Netherlands embassy, echoed caution against chasing full self-sufficiency. “Bangladesh does not have the comparative advantage that Brazil or the United States has. What we can do is identify the areas where soybean makes economic sense and invest there,” he said.

Haruni's key recommendations included:

• 🌾 Complement, not replace rice — soybean should use fallow and marginal land
• 👥 Government as facilitator — not direct producer
• 🔍 Identify economic zones — where soybean makes commercial sense
• 💰 Strategic investment — in areas with comparative advantage

👥 Farmer Experience: Cost Reduction with Mechanisation

Rizuanur Rahman, a soybean farmer from Noakhali, shared his practical experience: “We used to spend more than Tk 20,000 to cultivate a plot because of labour and other farming costs. With the seeder machines, we have been able to reduce those costs significantly.”

This farmer testimony illustrates that mechanisation — particularly seeder machines — can make soybean cultivation economically viable by reducing input costs. The cost reduction is critical for making domestic soybean competitive with imported alternatives.

📊 Why Soybean Matters for Bangladesh's Economy

The soybean opportunity has multiple strategic dimensions for Bangladesh:

• 💰 Import bill reduction — $2.5 billion edible oil savings potential
• 🌾 Food security — 40%+ protein content addresses nutritional gaps
• 👥 Feed industry support — 24-28 lakh tonnes demand from poultry/aquaculture
• 💸 Farmer income — new crop option for marginal land
• 🌐 Export diversification — soy-based products for global halal market
• 🚧 Forex savings — reducing dollar demand for edible oil imports

🌐 Strategic Context: Nutrition Security and Import Substitution

The roundtable's focus on “nutrition security” rather than just “food security” reflects a growing recognition that Bangladesh's agricultural policy must address not just caloric sufficiency but also protein and micronutrient adequacy. Soybean — with its 40%+ protein content — represents one of the most efficient protein sources available, whether consumed directly as food or indirectly through animal feed.

For an economy preparing for LDC graduation and seeking to reduce its $2.5 billion edible oil import burden, the soybean opportunity is both a food security and a trade policy priority. Achieving even the modest 25 percent domestic production target by 2030 would save approximately $625 million in annual import costs — while simultaneously creating rural employment, supporting the feed industry, and improving national nutrition outcomes.