Food security: Confusions compounded

Bangladesh is still among the countries placed at the bottom of the Global Food Security Index, recently published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Among the 109 countries covered by the EIU's Food Security Index-2015, Bangladesh is placed at 89th position. It holds the lowest position in South Asia and is ranked 21st among 22 Asia-Pacific countries.
There is no denying that Bangladesh is near self-sufficient in food. But food availability and food security are two different things. While food is available in sufficient quantities with government and private storage houses, millers and traders, at least one-fourth of the country's households pass their days half-fed, children below 5 years suffer from malnutrition and almost half of the food items in the market are unsafe for consumption, according to international studies.  
Confusions are there about the food self-sufficiency issue. The government leaders are repeatedly claiming that the country is self-sufficient in food production, meaning cereal production. But the import statistics say otherwise. During the last financial year, the country imported a record volume of rice and wheat, nearly 5.3 million tonnes. Bulk of the import---4.95 million tonnes-- was done by the private sector.  Besides, the domestic demand for many other essential food items are largely met through their imports.
However, questions are now being asked whether the country needed so much of imported rice and whether a substantial part of the rice, mainly imported from neighbouring India at cheap price, is being sold to the government at relatively higher prices by ruling party men. These are, of course, not relevant to food security issue and very much linked to the issue of graft and irregularities indulged in by powerful people or their lackeys. Then the move to export of non-aromatic rice has created more confusion than any sort of interest.
According to a USAID research study, more than 11 per cent of Bangladesh households are facing food deficit and another 14 per cent or more face food deficit frequently. Rural households usually go through this kind of situation more than their urban counterparts. Then again over 41 per cent of the children below 5 years of age are victims of malnutrition. More than 36 per cent babies are born underweight and about 24 per cent of females aged between 15 and 49 years do suffer from malnutrition.
Moreover, the availability of food per capita in the country fluctuates from year to year. It is very much dependent on the domestic production situation. According to the government's Food Policy Monitoring Unit, the availability of cereals (rice and wheat) per capita has declined in recent years despite an increase in food production.
So, if the one-fourth of the country's households remains half-fed and half of the children below 5 years are malnourished, then why are the government leaders so enthusiastic about claiming self-sufficiency in food production or telling people about the export of rice?
If approached, most of them in all likelihood would dismiss the EIU findings as false and concocted.  Even some policymakers, when approached by a newspaper some days back, in a way dismissed the EIU research findings claiming that there was no scope for the decline in per capita food availability, particularly when both food production and per capita income of people have been rising every year.
Such reaction is not regime-specific. Had others been in power they would have reacted in the same way. But that does not necessarily change the situation on the ground.
Food security does also cover the issue of quality of food. Marketing of an unsafe food item, be it chemical-treated fish, fruit or vegetables, is done in breach of the principles of food security.
Adulterators are enjoying almost a freehand in the production and marketing of food items of different types. Harmful chemicals are used on fish, fruits and vegetables at random to extend their shelf-life.
Reports on adulteration are often published in the media. At times, the authorities launch short-lived anti-adulteration drives. But things are back to square again with the discontinuation of the drives.
All the relevant agencies, including the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), city corporations and the National Consumers' Right Protection Department, do little to address the problem. So, it appears that the people would continue to remain exposed to unsafe food items for an indefinite period. And the number of people suffering from serious diseases would continue to swell.
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