Food security still a great challenge for BD: Report

FE Report Nearly 60 per cent households of the country faced food insecurity in 2010, Food Security and Nutrition Surveillance Project (FSNSP) Report 2010 said Tuesday. The report also said that food insecurity and malnutrition are still great challenges for Bangladesh concerned about food safety. It was conducted by the James P Grant School of Public Health under Brac University, Helen Keller International and BBS, funded by EU. The report was launched at a stakeholders meeting on "state of food security and nutrition in Bangladesh: 2010" jointly organised by the above-mentioned organisations and the Ministry of Planning of Bangladesh (MoP) held at a city hotel. It said, nearly 60 per cent household suffered from food insecurity during 2010 and around 10 million children belonged to those households. It also showed that from January to April and June to August, 2011, an increase in food insecurity further forced 2 million children towards food insecurity and 1.5 million children to extreme hunger. The study proposed that controlling food price hike can ensure food and nutrition security. The report also pointed out that child malnutrition was still a great challenge as 45 per cent children suffered malnutrition while 7 million out of them were aged under five. To overcome the problems, the report proposed for taking long term action plans on agriculture, health and awareness; conducting projects and exchanging information. Food Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque while addressing the programme as chief guest said the country had had a great achievement in food productivity but further work has to be done to develop the nutrition situation. The minister also informed that few objectives of the National Food Policy Action Plan 2009 were also exclusively on nutritional improvements of vulnerable section of the population. The action plan also has initiatives to 'ensure supply and access to safe and nutritious food to all, the minister informed. Chaired by Prof Ainun Nishat, vice-chancellor, Brac University, the programme was also addressed by Dr Mahabub Hossain, executive director of Brac, Riti Ibrahim, secretary, statistics division, Md Humayun Kabir, health secretary, Prof Dr A F M Saiful Islam, director general of health services, Mr Milko van Gool, counsellor and head of delegation of EU to Bangladesh, Dr Timothy G Evans, project director FSNSP, among others.