Not all countries produce enough food to feed their people. In the days to come spending on more production of food grains instead of acquiring money, arms and ammunition will be a vital issue for a country to establish its supremacy. Thus food diplomacy will be an effective weapon for resolving crises among countries. A country might be developed in all respects, but backwardness in agricultural sector will compel it to rely on other countries for food. Singapore and the Gulf states are glaring examples of how they have to depend on other countries only for meeting domestic demand for food grains. Countries that produce varieties of food grains will be placed better in the future, according to experts.
However production of food grains is diminishing gradually due to climatic, ecological and environmental adverse effects in countries once known for bumper agricultural production. Moreover, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation are also responsible for less production in the agro-dependent countries like Bangladesh. Besides, due to shrinking arable lands or existence of fallow and swampy lands in some countries, production of food grains has fallen quite alarmingly. On the contrary, natural calamities like drought, flood, tidal surge, cyclone, excessive rainfall etc are damaging food grains significantly. As a result, the world community is facing shortage of food grains. But demand for food grain is rising due to an increase in population and incomes. Therefore, massive production and eventually capacity to export food grains will determine the future status of a superpower among countries. And self-sufficiency in food grains with exportable surplus will enable use of food diplomacy for resolving crises with other countries.
Bangladesh has less opportunities or resources to make a headway in other sectors of the economy. It is agriculture which can make the country developed. That is why the country needs to utilise all its potentials to produce more food grains so that it may use food diplomacy to resolve crises, both domestic and foreign.
Once, Bangladesh was renowned all over the world as an agricultural country. Rice and jute of Bangladesh were well-known agro-products in the world. Our economy was dependent on agriculture sector mostly. Farmers were the most valuable professionals as agriculture was the lifeline of all economic activities.
Still our economy is dependent on agriculture to a great extent. Despite its reputation as an agricultural country with fertile lands and hardworking cultivators, the country has to import food grains from abroad to feed its people. But it is never impossible for our farmers to produce more major cereals as we have cultivation-friendly climate, fertile lands, availability of organic and non-organic fertiliser with other materials suitable for cultivation and above all a huge number of agro-knowledgeable farmers. The country has also congenial atmosphere for producing more in other agro products like fruits and fish etc.
The country's food grain production steadily increased in the last few decades in spite of natural and man-made hazards. The total production of food grains (mainly rice) was less than 10 million tons in 1972-73. With efforts from the government and the hard work by farmers, rice production increased by three and a half times by 2012-13. This success has led the government to claim self-sufficiency in food grain production. But by looking at statistics, we can easily say that the country is yet to attain self-sufficiency in cereal production as it has to import substantial quantity of food grain to meet domestic demand.
Bangladesh desperately needs to remove all the barriers to increased production of food grains. This will help the country to emerge as an agricultural powerhouse.
The writer is working for primary education in Bangladesh. [email protected]
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