Ensuring food security at a difficult time
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Mozzamel Haque
THE prices of basic foods such as ata (wheat flour) and rice are now very high-a situation that is otherwise considered unusual during this part of the year when harvesting of 'aman' crop exerts a moderating influence on the overall price situation. Natural calamities -- floods and cyclone -- have caused a big difference to the situation this year. The soaring prices of food grains is, thus, a matter of concern, considering particularly the adverse conditions the country is going through in the aftermath of the two rounds of countrywide floods followed by a devastating cyclone. The natural calamities have shattered in large part the life of the food producers, the farmers in particular.
Given that another harvesting season is some months away, the availability of food in the country should be an issue of highest concern to the policymakers in the government. It has been the suggestion of nearly all concerned that the government should take urgent measures so that food prices may remain within the reach of the poor in the coming months. A substantial part of the aman rice crop has perished as a consequence of the floods and the cyclone. The current stocks of food grains with the government is not comfortable under the given circumstance in which there will be a greater need now than before to release more food grains from such stocks to provide relief and succour to the distressed and to ensure their access to food so that food security is not endangered. In this context, the unabated rise in the prices of food grains will add to the fears about food availability among people in general.
Such adverse developments have created the compulsion for the government to give the highest attention to food grain availability and distribution of the same to the people below the poverty line in the disaster-hit areas through vulnerable group feeding and other public intervention programmes. Also, the government has to maintain a close watch on the supply-line so that food prices do not go up further in the market to the utmost discomfort of the common man.
The floods and cyclones and the damages caused by these natural calamities to assets, occupations and income of the people have reduced their purchasing power drastically. Food grains constitute the lifeline of these people's survival. Now if the price of food grains continues to escalate, then many of them would be simply unable to buy food.
On its part, the government has already taken some steps to supply food grains from its stocks to the vulnerable groups through its public intervention programmes. The process of the distribution of such supplies from government stocks must be an incorruptible one from drawing up the list of beneficiaries down to the actual availability at the grassroots.
It would be necessary to provide food grains free of charge to a much greater number of the extremely distressed people in this especially difficult year. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has indicated that it would extend some support to the programme for feeding some two and a half million victims of the cyclone Sidr for some months from now. While this assistance, when the indications thereof are translated into tangible actions, will be of great value, the government will still need to import and receive food grains assistance on a large scale to ward off any supply shortage in the country. Even if raising the production of the Boro rice in the current season proves to be successful, there would still remain a big shortage of food grains in the country. This is because the Boro and Aman crops together supply the needs of the population on an annual basis. The under-production of one crop, such as aman rice this year, cannot be entirely made up even by taking special measures to increase the output of Boro rice.
Thus, there are hardly any choices before the government. Import of food grains must be stepped up to build comfortable stocks. The private importers will also have to be actively encouraged for the purpose. Food aid from donors has been sought and there has been a response to it also. But the government needs to persuade the donors to go on committing and disbursing substantial food aid for Bangladesh, sooner than later. Buying food grains with hard currency will create pressure on the country's foreign currency reserve in a year when food production and prices the worldover have turned adverse for the importers. Contingency plans must be operationalised at the earliest to cushion any possible adverse impact of a large food import bill on the country's macro-economic situation.
Meanwhile, everything must be done to help the recovery of agriculture by ensuring the supply of essential farming inputs to the farmers in time, in sufficient quantities and at prices they can afford.
THE prices of basic foods such as ata (wheat flour) and rice are now very high-a situation that is otherwise considered unusual during this part of the year when harvesting of 'aman' crop exerts a moderating influence on the overall price situation. Natural calamities -- floods and cyclone -- have caused a big difference to the situation this year. The soaring prices of food grains is, thus, a matter of concern, considering particularly the adverse conditions the country is going through in the aftermath of the two rounds of countrywide floods followed by a devastating cyclone. The natural calamities have shattered in large part the life of the food producers, the farmers in particular.
Given that another harvesting season is some months away, the availability of food in the country should be an issue of highest concern to the policymakers in the government. It has been the suggestion of nearly all concerned that the government should take urgent measures so that food prices may remain within the reach of the poor in the coming months. A substantial part of the aman rice crop has perished as a consequence of the floods and the cyclone. The current stocks of food grains with the government is not comfortable under the given circumstance in which there will be a greater need now than before to release more food grains from such stocks to provide relief and succour to the distressed and to ensure their access to food so that food security is not endangered. In this context, the unabated rise in the prices of food grains will add to the fears about food availability among people in general.
Such adverse developments have created the compulsion for the government to give the highest attention to food grain availability and distribution of the same to the people below the poverty line in the disaster-hit areas through vulnerable group feeding and other public intervention programmes. Also, the government has to maintain a close watch on the supply-line so that food prices do not go up further in the market to the utmost discomfort of the common man.
The floods and cyclones and the damages caused by these natural calamities to assets, occupations and income of the people have reduced their purchasing power drastically. Food grains constitute the lifeline of these people's survival. Now if the price of food grains continues to escalate, then many of them would be simply unable to buy food.
On its part, the government has already taken some steps to supply food grains from its stocks to the vulnerable groups through its public intervention programmes. The process of the distribution of such supplies from government stocks must be an incorruptible one from drawing up the list of beneficiaries down to the actual availability at the grassroots.
It would be necessary to provide food grains free of charge to a much greater number of the extremely distressed people in this especially difficult year. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has indicated that it would extend some support to the programme for feeding some two and a half million victims of the cyclone Sidr for some months from now. While this assistance, when the indications thereof are translated into tangible actions, will be of great value, the government will still need to import and receive food grains assistance on a large scale to ward off any supply shortage in the country. Even if raising the production of the Boro rice in the current season proves to be successful, there would still remain a big shortage of food grains in the country. This is because the Boro and Aman crops together supply the needs of the population on an annual basis. The under-production of one crop, such as aman rice this year, cannot be entirely made up even by taking special measures to increase the output of Boro rice.
Thus, there are hardly any choices before the government. Import of food grains must be stepped up to build comfortable stocks. The private importers will also have to be actively encouraged for the purpose. Food aid from donors has been sought and there has been a response to it also. But the government needs to persuade the donors to go on committing and disbursing substantial food aid for Bangladesh, sooner than later. Buying food grains with hard currency will create pressure on the country's foreign currency reserve in a year when food production and prices the worldover have turned adverse for the importers. Contingency plans must be operationalised at the earliest to cushion any possible adverse impact of a large food import bill on the country's macro-economic situation.
Meanwhile, everything must be done to help the recovery of agriculture by ensuring the supply of essential farming inputs to the farmers in time, in sufficient quantities and at prices they can afford.