We agree with Farida Akhter, Adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, who earlier this week stated that Bangladesh, despite being touted as a success story across numerous parameters, still suffered from malnutrition.
At the heart of it is the inadequate support our farmers receive; as stated by her at a high-level conference earlier this week where she was present: “Farmers often struggle to produce food with little support for storage, pricing, or infrastructure. When they do store their produce, they lack adequate price support, leading to waste.”
This is a reality that we have continued to see year after year in our country, which only exacerbates our cost of living crisis. Bangladesh is home to some of the most fertile land in the world, and it is the reason we have the population density we do.
However, with our ever-growing population, together with the adverse effects of climate change that continue to make growing food more difficult, we must invest in more modern measures that will enhance our infrastructure to help reduce food loss and improve the country’s food security.
Indeed, it is shocking that an estimated 34% of food produced in the country is either lost or wasted - for a nation where so many people struggle to be able to adequately nourish themselves as a result of the high cost of food, this is simply unacceptable.
To that end, there is no alternative but to have a concerted effort, with a committed government that recognizes the scale of the problem together with all other sectors of the economy to bring about the solutions needed to address this growing concern. Policy alignment may be the first step, only coordinated efforts across the government, private sector, and civil society will help us make progress.
There is no need greater in our country than ensuring that every single person in it has access to adequate nutritional food. We cannot fail on this front.