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Country business brief

Doing business in Bangladesh
from Indonesia.

Food supply, retail and agribusiness connections: distinguish imported products, operating stores and prospective energy cooperation.

Research checked 3 November 2026. Each observation keeps its own date.

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A practical answer

Where is the business connection?

Indonesian food suppliers, retail operators and agribusiness companies assessing distribution or local operating partnerships.

Use the documented activity below to choose a research direction. The companies named are examples from public sources, not Mingdao clients, endorsements or a complete investor register.

Bangladesh goods import payments from Indonesia

US$3,646.2m

FY 2024–25; reported payment measure, not FDI

View original source

This measure retains the source’s currency, period and scope. It is not a country FDI ranking, market share or return forecast.

Section reference

Documented activity

Who is doing what?

Embassy-reported company activity / dated observation

Alfamart and Japfa identified in an official bilateral meeting

The Indonesian embassy identified Alfamart and Japfa Comfeed in Bangladesh and reported three Alfamart stores open in Dhaka at the time of the May 2026 meeting. Further store openings were plans, not verified completions. The embassy also described energy cooperation discussions.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Embassy Dhaka / Web (opens in a new tab)

Official annual snapshot / FY 2024–25

Import payments from Indonesia

Bangladesh Bank's reported goods import payments, with the report's coverage adjustments. A dated starting point for supplier and market-entry research; this is not live trade data or foreign direct investment.

US$3,646.2 million

FY 2024–25 · compared with US$3,556.5 million in FY 2023–24

Read the Bangladesh Bank country table / save PDF (opens in a new tab)
Source, scope and how to use these figures

Source: Bangladesh Bank, Annual Import Payments of Goods and Services 2024–25, Table 3.6, printed pages 1205–1207. These reported payments can differ from customs-recorded merchandise trade because of timing, valuation and coverage.

Important report notes: EPZ banking payments are assigned to individual countries from FY 2021–22; specified unclassified FDI-related goods are included by country; government-project and Rooppur project imports enter the country series from FY 2024–25. Coverage changes can affect comparisons, so no like-for-like growth claim is calculated here.

The comparison covers selected markets with guides, not every supplier country. Bars compare displayed values, not shares of Bangladesh's imports. Figures are not sales forecasts or investment returns; company metrics elsewhere can use different periods and measures.

Source checked 3 November 2026. Figures are a dated annual snapshot, not a live feed or a claim of the latest available observation. The PDF is a large official report; download on a suitable connection if needed.

Original Bangladesh Bank PDF (opens in a new tab)

SHA-256: 656078a3c976d07e2b8a3e49391d558b28c07da704f7b5ccb1473c42765c8027

Explore product-level import research · Discuss a market assessment

Section reference

Mingdao analysis / models to test

Turn the connection into a business model.

Our approach for this business connection

Turn established product flows into dependable local delivery, then assess whether distribution, services or manufacturing adds the most value. Test unit economics before expanding physical operations.

  1. Test a food distribution route using product specifications, importer responsibilities and an initial customer cohort.
  2. For a retail format, build a store-level model covering assortment, replenishment, rent and shrinkage before scaling.
  3. For agribusiness, compare imported feed ingredients with local production or technical-service arrangements.

Choose the customer, local activity, investing or contracting entity and responsible partner first. A brand relationship can involve licensing or distribution without foreign equity; a proposed project can remain unbuilt.

Follow the relevant industry.

Agro-processing & Food Production Agribusiness & Consumer Products Logistics, Ports & Warehousing

Links follow the documented company activities in this brief. They do not claim exclusive opportunities for one nationality.

Section reference

What should you validate next?

  • Verify food registration, labelling, standards and any halal claims for the actual product.
  • Confirm the local operator, ownership, contracts and latest store or plant status.
  • Distinguish proposed expansion and diplomatic discussions from committed expenditure.

Build an evidence file before deciding.

Prepare customer interviews or orders, product specifications, partner ownership records, the intended local activity, a cost model and the questions still unresolved. Record who will verify each assumption and when.

Open the preparation checklist

Read the original evidence.

Government and company disclosures are linked below. Company statements are attributed to their issuer; historical milestones are not presented as current output. Published research does not replace project due diligence.

Your project / next decision

Define the research you need.

Share your product, customers, proposed local activities and what you need to establish before moving forward.

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Foreign ownership in Bangladesh

Build a business you can fully own.

100% foreign ownership
Available in eligible sectors

100% foreign ownership is permitted in most sectors in Bangladesh. An eligible business can establish a wholly foreign-owned company without a local equity partner.

Eligibility depends on the business activity. Reserved or restricted activities, sector-specific ownership rules, licences and regulatory approvals must be checked before incorporation or investment.

Do I need a local shareholder?

For an activity eligible for wholly foreign-owned incorporation, a local equity partner is not generally required. The proposed activities and applicable sector rules must be reviewed first. Ownership eligibility does not replace company registration, operating licences or other required approvals.

Source: BIDA investment FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Checked 2 November 2026

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