It is extremely important for Bangladesh to pay heed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s words of caution, where she once again stressed the importance of ensuring food security for all, and for the country to ensure that the people of Bangladesh do not suffer from food scarcity as an aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indeed, there are worrying signs for Bangladesh -- according to the 2020 Global Hunger Index, Bangladesh ranks 75th, and is considered among the 40 countries that are highly vulnerable to a worsening of food and nutrition insecurity caused by the overlapping health, economic, and environmental crises that have come up due to the coronavirus.
This should serve as a wake-up call to all those that are concerned with food and nutrition; yes, Bangladesh has made -- and continues to make -- significant strides as an economy and in agricultural productivity, but the fact remains that the fears of hunger, starvation, and food shortage are not without reason, and remain relevant.
To that effect, the government and the PM’s words of focusing on this most pertinent of issues is reassuring, but will mean nothing if the proper steps are not taken to ensure that the fears that currently exist do not manifest into a worsening situation.
Indeed, the authorities concerned must continue to keep the agriculture sector very high on their priority list, and do their best to ensure that Bangladesh has to never go back to its dark days of being a nation that was gripped with famine and food shortage. We have made too much progress as an economy, and no one should have to go hungry as we continue to ascend.