Muhith calls for national food plan
Finance Minister AMA Muhith has urged the food and agriculture ministries to prepare a coordinated National Food Plan with the view to ensuring food security for all.
For that end, Muhith last month sent a letter to Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and Food Minister Quamrul Islam informing them about his plan, which includes how rice can be purchased directly from the farmers.
The letter comes at a time when the farmers have been complaining that they are unable to get the production cost by selling their crops.
At the end of April, the government fixed the procurement target for paddy and rice, for which the finance minister’s suggestions have partially been incorporated.
For instance, in the boro season, the purchase target for paddy and rice have been set at 13 lakh tonnes, of which six lakh tonnes is paddy. Earlier, most of the government purchase was rice.
The aim of purchasing more paddies is to procure directly from the farmers, a food ministry official said.
“Our major responsibility is to observe the food market and keep it stable,” Muhith said, adding that the public stock needs to be distributed and sold at the right time.
He also said it is not difficult to ensure food supply for all now, but the supply system would have to be attuned to such a way that social safety can be sustained.
“Bangladesh has now attained self-sufficiency in food. But, there is no scope to lower interest in production -- the country’s population will continue to increase in the next 50 years. So, a continued effort to increase food production is necessary.”
Muhith said subsidy on inputs like seed, fertilisers and water supply will continue as it would increase food production.
The government will purchase food from the market to increase public sector stock, he said, adding that it should be worked out how the purchase can be done directly from farmers.
In the plan, all issues including production, preservation and storage of food, as well as sale and distribution will be considered, with special focus on the activities of the public sector.
At present, the government has various food distribution programmes based on seasons: Food for Works, Money for Works, Open Market Sales.
Muhith said the programmes must be consolidated. “Food may be distributed at nominal price or free for social safety. But for that, only one programme is sufficient.”
The finance minister cited the food distribution plan of the tea garden authorities, which all business entities with employee count upward of 500, such as garment factories, can replicate.
The tea garden authorities sell food at a subsidised rate for the workers.
Layek Ali, general secretary of the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mills Association, said the government, experts in the related sector and the millers should sit tighter and formulate a policy so that the farmers can get proper prices for their produce.