Access to food is part of basic human rights. But it is getting increasingly harder for people in Bangladesh to have access to high-quality, nutritious food due to price hikes, among other reasons.
It is worth noting that nutritious food, as experts have warned, will remain a luxury for the general public unless the skyrocketing prices of commodities are brought under control.
Thanks to Bangladesh’s rapid economic growth, there is no actual scarcity of food. Moreover, the growth rate of food production exceeds the overall population growth of Bangladesh. But with the country’s aspiration of becoming a developed nation, more needs to be done in the area of food security.
The urban poor in the metropolitan cities is finding it difficult to buy food at affordable prices, which is causing malnutrition in children. Despite being a nation dominated by agriculture, where around 40% of the population is engaged in the sector, Bangladesh has one of the lowest per capita investments in agriculture in the world, which is about 16.4%.
Advocates have recommended investment in innovation and technology to empower farmers. Listening to the stakeholders and thinking long-term is necessary to protect the profession of agriculture, which is the backbone of food security.
According to a World Bank report from 2018, both investment and value-added income in Bangladesh in the agriculture sector are lower than the average of South Asian countries. Access to high-quality affordable food is not possible without a robust agriculture sector.
A Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report, as late as 2021, found that 73% of the population is not able to afford a healthy diet.
According to the report Bangladesh has a severe deficiency in protein and micronutrient intake, as the people’s daily intake of dairy and dairy products, pulses, meat and eggs is way below the standard requirement.
The statistics for vegetable intake is the worst. Where the recommended intake is 300g per day for a person, in Bangladesh the average intake is only 167.39g per day.
This is a serious situation that impacts the people of the country directly and will have repercussions that will be felt by generations to come. Policy-makers should respond to the situation in a proportionate manner and the government must carry out the actions necessary to alleviate the condition.