Coal dominates Bangladesh’s top imports, clinker at second position

Around 5,700 categories of goods are imported into Bangladesh each year. The list includes industrial raw materials, fuel, consumer goods and various materials used in development projects.

However, imports of only a handful of these thousands of products account for a huge volume. Some products are imported in quantities exceeding tens of millions of tonnes a year.

An analysis of data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and its field offices shows that a total of 158.6 million tonnes of goods were imported through the country’s 46 customs stations in the recently concluded 2025–26 financial year.

The top 10 products accounted for 99.8 million tonnes. In other words, nearly 63kg of every 100kg of imported goods came from these 10 products.

Industrial raw materials, fuel and materials used in infrastructure construction dominate the top 10. Among food grains, only wheat made the list.

According to NBR data, clinker—the main raw material used to make cement—was the country’s largest imported product by volume for 25 consecutive years, from the 2000–01 to 2024–25 financial year. That long-standing dominance has now come to an end.

Coal displaced clinker to become the country’s largest imported product in the 2025–26 financial year. Bangladesh imported 20.7 million tonnes of coal during the year.

The rise in coal imports is not unexpected. Demand for coal has increased rapidly for power generation since coal-fired power plants began operating in the country. Six coal-fired power plants accounted for around 75 per cent of total coal imports last financial year.

As a result, coal, once used mainly as fuel and a raw material in industrial factories, has now become the country’s largest imported product by volume.

Clinker, a raw material used in cement production, has dropped to second place after losing its long-held position at the top. The country imported 19.2 million tonnes of clinker in the last financial year.

Several raw materials, including slag, limestone and fly ash, are used alongside clinker in cement production. All four feature among the top 10 imported products. After clinker, another cement raw material, slag, ranks fourth. The country imported 8.3 million tonnes of slag in the last financial year.

Limestone, which ranks sixth, accounted for nearly 6 million tonnes of imports. And, Fly ash, or ash, ranks 10th, with imports of around 5 million tonnes.

In total, nearly 38.5 million tonnes of the four types of cement raw materials were imported. In other words, cement industry raw materials account for a substantial share of the total volume of the top 10 imported products.

Crushed stone ranks third by import volume. Bangladesh imported 16.8 million tonnes of crushed stone in the last financial year. The stone is used in the construction of roads, buildings and various other infrastructure projects.

Alongside crushed stone, large quantities of boulder stone are also imported. The country imported 5.5 million tonnes of boulder stone in 2025-26 financial year, placing it eighth by volume. Boulder stone is used in river management and various development projects.

Wheat is the only consumer product among the top 10 imported goods. By volume, it ranks fifth. Bangladesh imported 7.434 million tonnes of wheat in the last financial year.

Approximately 15 per cent of the country’s demand for wheat is met by domestic production. The remaining 85 per cent or so is met through imports. As a result, wheat is the country’s largest imported food grain by volume.

Scrap metal, or old iron and iron pieces, the main raw material used to make rebar, ranks seventh. Bangladesh imported around 5.7 million tonnes of scrap in the last financial year. The country’s steel mills melt the scrap to produce billets, which are then used to manufacture rebar and other steel products.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG), imported to meet fuel demand, ranks ninth. The country imported around 5.1 million tonnes of LNG in the last financial year.

Bangladesh has been importing LNG for several years to make up for shortages in domestic gas supplies. Imported LNG is converted back into gas and supplied to the national grid.

Overall, the top 10 imported products are dominated by fuels such as coal and LNG, raw materials for the cement and steel industries, and materials used in infrastructure construction. Wheat is the only food product on the list.

This means that, by volume, a large share of Bangladesh’s imports is not directly intended for consumption but is used for power generation, industrial production and infrastructure development.

Asked for his views, Amirul Haque, an entrepreneur in the cement and consumer goods sectors and president of the Chattogram Chamber, told Prothom Alo, “Most of the products imported in the largest volumes are industrial raw materials, fuel and materials used in infrastructure construction.”

“Five of them are raw materials for the cement and steel sectors. Demand for these products will also increase as economic activity and investment grow,” he added.