Lower-income people on brink of malnutrition

Rickshaw-puller Jahid – father of a four-year-old boy – now spends his days in a desperate struggle to earn more money, trying in vain to afford essential commodities which have steadily become pricier in the last two years.

Sharing his predicament with The Business Post with sadness in his voice, Jahid said, “I try to keep an egg and a glass of milk for my son’s breakfast every day. But for the first time in the last two years, I am unable to afford these food items.

“An egg now costs Tk 13, and half a litre of milk is Tk 40. I used to pull a rickshaw for one shift every day, but I am now trying to do this all day. The fares have increased a bit, but it is not nearly enough to help me cover the increased food prices.”

For Jahid, and crores of other low and middle-income bread-earners across the country just like him, there is no respite as they hopelessly watch the prices of protein-rich food spiral out of their control due to soaring transport costs – putting them at high risk of malnutrition.

In Bangladesh, people belonging to such segments usually depend on eggs, milk, farm chicken meat, koi, pangash and small fish to meet their protein needs. All of these items are now significantly pricier compared to last week.

Prices spiraling out of control

Traders at the Segunbagicha market are selling farm red eggs at Tk 150 – Tk 165 per dozen, which was Tk 120 – Tk 125 a week ago. Non-farm chicken and duck eggs are being sold for Tk210, which is an increase from Tk 160 to Tk 180.

This indicates that the egg prices per dozen have increased by Tk 40 or around 33 per cent within one week.

Broiler chicken is being sold for Tk 210 per kg, which was at Tk 160 – Tk 165 a week ago, indicating a price increase by Tk 45 or 27 percent within one week. Beef is being sold for Tk 700 per kg and mutton for Tk 850 – Tk 1,000 per kg in the market.

Packaged liquid milk price increased by 14 percent within two months, now selling for Tk 80 per litre.

Koi fish is being sold for Tk 200 or Tk 220 per kg, which was Tk 120 to Tk 140 in markets across the capital. Pangash fish is now being sold for Tk 175 per kg, an increase from Tk 120 just weeks ago.

Crores at risk of malnutrition

Commenting on the situation, Prof Dr Sk Nazrul Islam of Dhaka University’s Institute of Nutrition and Food Science said, “Egg is the common source of protein for the poor, and the price hikes have put the item out of their reach.

“People from the poorer segments and those with fixed income are the main sufferers of this unprecedented price hike.”

BIRDEM’s Chief Nutritionist Shamsunnaher Mahua said, “When protein-rich food becomes unavailable, people increase the intake of carbohydrates. Eating too much carbohydrate-rich food can cause health complications such as obesity and other non-communicable diseases.”

Meanwhile, Prof Sk Nazrul Islam said, “Prices of almost all types of foods have increased from 25 per cent to 50 per cent within the last few weeks. So, finding alternative sources for protein is impossible.

“The impact of increased food prices might not be felt immediately, but in the long term, the fallout would be devastating. There are serious concerns that most of the poor and lower income people throughout Bangladesh would become malnourished in the coming months.”

According to data from several government agencies, over 20 per cent of the people in Bangladesh are grappling with poverty, which means around 3.38 crore people are poor and are at risk of malnutrition under the current circumstances.

A Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022: Repurposing Food and Agricultural Policies to Make Healthy Diets More Affordable” mentions that 50.4 million people faced severe to moderate food insecurity between 2014 and 2016.

Three years later, between 2019 and 2021, 52.3 million people faced food insecurity – which is 32 per cent of Bangladesh’s total population, according to the study.

A government study published in 2019 also mentions that 11.90 per cent of the people who are below the poverty line in Bangladesh are the most undernourished.

Golam Rahman, president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said, “The food cost issue is not only a result of skyrocketing prices in the international market, but the country’s financial mismanagement also played a key role.

“The more the price of food increases, the more people will fall victim to malnutrition in the country. Especially children from poor families will suffer more because of their inability to buy protein-rich food.”