Whither Bangladesh’s food security?

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen recently pointed out that Bangladesh has been prudent in taking precautionary measures on two key fronts - food and energy security - to deal with the challenges ahead due to the Russia-Ukraine war. The foreign minister remarks are apparently reassuring at a time when a global recession is just around the corner and many a naysayers are making doomsday prediction about threat of a famine like situation in the coming year.

However there are genuine causes to worry about the food security situation as the food inflation rages on unabated. Rampant food price increases and declining real income over the recent years has made lives miserable for millions of common citizens across the country. Access to affordable food is the biggest barrier to achieving a balanced diet, and a great number the citizens are unable to do so.

In Bangladesh, food is a basic right, as affirmed by the constitution of the country. However, a large number of people are still subject to food insecurity in this land of over 160 million people. According to the World Food Summit in 1996, food insecurity exists when there is not enough food available to meet the food demand; there is a lack of access to available food at all times, to all people, at affordable prices and when available food fails to meet safety and nutrition demands of the given population.

The impact of the global food crisis has naturally affected Bangladesh. The price of food products in the country has increased rapidly due to the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia and Ukraine combined is considered the world’s bread baskets. Coupled with this are the domestic hoarders, who are ever ready to exploit excess profits by creating artificial crises by increasing stocks.

Food security is under threat from a variety of sources, including growing conflicts, extreme weather events caused by global climate change, and the economic and health issues posed by pandemic and post pandemic era. Food insecurity refers to more than just a lack of food in the market. It also indicates a lack of funds to obtain food, let alone nutritious and wholesome food.

Increasing food availability is insufficient to end under-nutrition. If universal food security and the pervasive concern of stunting and wasting among children are to be dealt with, it is just as important, if not more, to ensure that people have access to healthy and safe meals. The number of individuals who are food-insecure has increased, while social and economic imbalances have only gotten worse. The nation should brace itself for the impact of climate change that can increase the fragility of the food security situation. Taking this prospect, agriculturists have urged the policymakers to remain ready for the future challenge through innovative and adaptive technologies to keep crop production increasing.

Still, as the population of the country keeps increasing, the necessity of greater food production cannot be overemphasized. It becomes easier for a country that achieves reliance in food to develop in different fields. On achieving food security, Bangladesh must primarily focus on the production of grains including rice and wheat. Equal importance has to be put on increasing the production of protein sources such as beef, poultry, fish as well as pulses. Sometime back, a World Bank report surfaced in the media revealing the fact that stunted growth, as well as lack of quality education, is obstructing the materialization of the fullest growth of the country’s human capital.

The government must work to enhance the value chain of fruit and vegetable crops while also assuring the availability of storage facilities in order to prevent future food crises.

To lessen the destructive consequences of natural catastrophes on food security, the government must encourage crop variety, water management, and climate-smart farming. The country’s food security depends on prioritising agri-cultural value addition and maintaining subsidies for important commodities.