25 million suffer from malnutrition

A report titled "World Food Security and Nutrition Situation-2017" brought out jointly by a number of UN organisations states that some 815 million people in the world go to sleep hungry. Although precise numbers are not available for Bangladesh, estimates point that some 25 million people, mostly women and children, suffer from malnutrition. Although the overall food nutrition in the country has improved, natural calamities like floods, landslides and are having a detrimental effect on the nutrition situation.

Bangladesh has made strides in reducing stunted growth among children (aged under 5) to 36.1 percent from 45 percent over the period 2005 to 2016. However the decrease in number of people suffering malnutrition remains the lowest in South Asian countries, with India reducing to 14.5 percent and Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar recording noteworthy progress. The country has largely achieved food self-sufficiency and peoples' incomes have grown steadily over the years. So, why have we not been able to effectively reduce malnutrition? Simply greater intake of food does not automatically translate into the right types of foods being consumed.

When it comes to ensuring food security, policy interventions must take into account measures that will increase food price stability, and recovery of local agricultural and food markets. Such steps will greatly aid vulnerable groups (such as women and children) and households to mitigate the impact of natural calamities like devastating floods we have been witnessing the last few years. There have to be concerted efforts by the health and food ministries to ensure that nutritious food is accessible to those who need it the most.