Hunger despite food self-sufficiency

It is a gross contradiction that although we have achieved self sufficiency in food, 60 million of our people do not get to eat enough to maintain a healthy life. This disturbing reality has been revealed by World Food Programme (WFP). That is not all. More than 50 percent of pre-school children and one third of females of reproductive age are underweight according to FAO and Unicef research.

Such shocking revelations indicate a huge gap between food supply and food distribution. While income inequality is a major reason for this anomaly the studies have found other reasons. Gender discrimination seems to be a glaring factor; the Unicef research has found that even among the most wealthy, girls of reproductive age are underweight, thus this group suffers malnutrition regardless of financial background. Lack of knowledge about nutrition and contamination of street food, also contribute to poor nutrition.

We thank the Embassy of the Netherlands for funding three projects worth 150 crore taka to address food insecurity and improve nutrition and health. Most importantly, it will also target women farmers, giving them access to quality seeds, other inputs, nutrition education, along with training on sexual and reproductive rights, leadership and business development. While we need all the help we can get in terms of improving our knowledge base on nutrition and equipping our farmers, especially women farmers (who contribute hugely to food production), with resources and training, there must be concerted efforts from the government, to address food insecurity. This may require intensive endeavours, with special emphasis on women and children who are the most undernourished, to make sure that food reaches vulnerable groups, that better hygiene standards are enforced on street food vendors and the public is educated about nutritious diets.