Improvement in hunger status

We have learnt from this daily that this year's annual report of State of Food Insecurity (SOFI) released jointly with three UN bodies says that the percentage of hungry people in the total population of Bangladesh has reduced from 34.6 in 1990 to 16.8 this year. That means the number of people living in hunger has reduced from 37 million in 1990 to 25 million in 2012 in our country. Moreover, Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute has also reported that Bangladesh goes two steps up in the global hunger index (GHI) this year to 68th position from 70th last year. Even, rate of improvement of hunger status of Bangladesh is better if compared in the global and regional perspective.
On average, a person needs about 1,800 kilo calories per day as a minimum energy intake. However, poor people can not ensure this minimum level of daily energy requirement. Unfortunately, the existing poverty rate is still 31 percent in our country despite the incumbent government's electoral pledge to bring poverty rate down to 25 percent by 2013.
Nevertheless, improvement in hunger status is very encouraging. Now the government and the NGOs concerned should take the challenge for providing poor people with protein-rich food like milk, egg, meat, etc., to enhance the national nutritional level.