Bangladesh plans to purchase 25 Boeing aircraft as part of trade negotiations with the United States, aimed at reducing the reciprocal tariff of 35 per cent.
A delegation would leave Dhaka for Washington on Monday evening for the tariff talks.
Earlier, on July 8, the Trump administration imposed a 35 per cent tariff on Bangladeshi exports, set to take effect from August 1.
Speaking to 抖阴精品 on Sunday, commerce secretary Mahbubur Rahman said that there had been advanced level negotiations with Boeing regarding the purchase of 14 aircraft.
For the reciprocal tariff issue, the government has increased the number to 25.
He also stated that, for the third and final round of tariff negotiations, a Bangladesh delegation led by commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin would depart for the US this evening (July 28).
The Bangladeshi delegation will meet with the United States Trade Representative in Washington DC on July 29 and 30, with the possibility of another meeting on July 31, he added.
The outcome of the meeting might be available on August 1, he added.
Earlier,聽the second round of discussions ended on July 11, but failed to produce a consensus from either side regarding the tariff policy.
The commerce secretary stated that the US initially proposed a virtual meeting. Following Bangladesh's request, the sessions would be held directly at the USTR office.
He also said that, along with the commerce adviser and the commerce secretary, national security adviser Khalilur Rahman and commerce ministry additional secretary Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury would attend the tariff talks.
Mahbubur Rahman also stated that, according to the tariff talks, India and Vietnam have each ordered 100 aircraft, while Indonesia has ordered 50.
He also said that the aircraft purchase was a business agreement with the US-based company, not the government.聽
The company would deliver according to its capacity and business model, and Bangladesh is expected to receive the delivery within the next one to two years.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines鈥� fleet expansion was already part of the government鈥檚 long-term plans.
Earlier, Bangladesh signed an agreement to purchase Boeing aircraft in 2008. Between 2011 and 2019, Bangladesh purchased 14 Boeing aircraft.
As per tariff talks, on July 20, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding with the US to import 7 lakh tonnes of wheat annually for the next five years to reduce the trade deficit.
On July 23, the interim government decided to procure 2.20 lakh tonnes of wheat from the US at $302.75 per tonne.
Regarding the queries on the clauses of the position papers, he earlier said that, as it was a non-disclosure agreement, they couldn鈥檛 disclose anything at this time.
However, commerce ministry officials stated that Dhaka has proposed concessions, including duty relief and increased imports.
They said that they would not accept any 鈥榥on-trade conditions鈥� as part of the agreement.
Earlier, on July 21, Mahbubur Rahman told 抖阴精品 that Bangladesh imports approximately nine million tonnes of wheat annually, primarily from Russia and Ukraine, and he urged businesses to shift their imports from the US.
He also stated that, as Biman Bangladesh's fleet is heavily dependent on Boeing, increased imports would not cause any market disruptions.
He also stated that they encouraged businesses to engage in B2B-level聽discussions with wheat, cotton, soy, and other product-based associations in the US to increase imports.
Earlier in April, the US imposed a 37 per cent tariff on Bangladeshi products, which was lowered to 35 per cent on July 8.
Currently, the Bangladeshi exporters enjoy a 15 per cent to 16 per cent tariff when exporting to the North American country.
In 2024, Bangladesh exported approximately $8.4 billion in goods to the US, of which $7.34 billion, or about 88 per cent,聽accounted for readymade garments.
In 2024, US goods exports to Bangladesh were worth $2.2 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $6.2 billion for the US.
