Home ›› 14 Dec 2022 ›› Front
Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam on Tuesday said that there will be no food crisis in the country till the upcoming Ramadan.
The projection of food stock up to next June indicates that there will be no shortfall as now more than 16 lakh tonnes of food remains in stock, he said
The cabinet secretary came up with the remarks while talking to journalists at his office on the completion of a follow-up meeting of secretaries.
Mentioning that the country’s food situation is now in a comfortable position, he said, programmes to provide food aid at low cost including open market sales (OMS) will also continue.
The cabinet secretary said, “The agriculture secretary has been coordinating the activities on food for the past six months. After the Boro season is completed, food stock will remain in surplus till next May.”
“Apart from the current food stock, the yield of Aman is also good this year. Taking the advantage of prolonged drought, Aman has been cultivated in the lowlands too. Crops are good because of high sunlight and better photosynthesis,” he said
About the wheat crisis, the cabinet secretary said wheat production is not environmentally friendly in Bangladesh. It is produced in 12 countries of the former Soviet Union and it is difficult to source wheat from elsewhere, he said.
He said, “We have produced about 58-59 lakh tonnes of maize and the food value of maize is also more compared to wheat. However, our efforts are continuing to import wheat. The food secretary has confirmed the import of wheat.”
Mentioning that Tuesday’s meeting was the follow-up meeting of the secretaries with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 27, the cabinet secretary said, “We have taken a review from all the secretaries on how much expenditure has been reduced, such as entertainment, electricity or petrol.”
“It has been possible to reduce the cost of electricity by 48 per cent from last June to now. The Prime Minister’s Office has reduced its costs by 60 per cent,” he said.
“At least 40 per cent cost reduced in the fuel sector. It was discussed in the following meeting of the secretaries. Everyone is practising it,” he added
He said amid the financial recession that is going on around the world, various ministries have been given A, B categories of the projects. Those categories are being followed strictly, he said.
The cabinet secretary also said “Foreign loans have been requested to be used properly. It will be helpful for foreign exchange reserves. When we take foreign loans, an annual projection has to be shown.”
