High prices of food items to have adverse effect on public health
Friday, 11 July 2008
Food, Health and Family Welfare Adviser MM Shawkat Ali Thursday admitted that the high prices of food items would have an adverse effect on public health for low-dose nutrition intake, reports UNB.
"Definitely, this (increased prices of food) will have no good impact on the government's programme for improvement of people's health status from malnutrition," he said while addressing a press conference on "World Population Day 2008" in the Health Ministry's conference room.
The World Population Day 2008 will be observed today (Friday) with the theme 'It's (planned family) a right, Let's make it real'.
The food adviser said, "It's well-known, the prices of essentials are not at a tolerable level and I also know the same. But people are not coming back home without buying rice, no matter what the price is. Maybe, there are some sufferings for the low-income group."
He said a decline in food prices depends on the situation in the food-exporting countries.
He informed that the country has about .92 million tonnes of food in reserve at present.
The former bureaucrat-turned functionary of the caretaker government informed the press about different measures taken by the government to reduce the total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.2 per cent from the existing 2.7 per cent.
"If we can maintain this target, country's population will increase to 172 million in 2020 and 210 million in 2060," said Shawkat Ali.
Without quoting any latest source of data or statistics, he plainly said that, at present, the country's population is 140 million when asked what about the exact figure of today's population.
The advisor said the maternal death rate is declining and target is to reduce it to 2.4 per cent from existing 3.2 per cent.
He noted that the rate of contraceptive use is declining in the country, but the rate of taking permanent birth-control measures is on the increase.
Referring to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), he mentioned that the life-expectancy rate rose to 65.4 in 2006 from 56.1 in 1991.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary AKM Zafrullah, Additional Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Director General (Health) Md. Abul Faiz and Director General (Family Planning) Kamrunnesa Khanom were present at the press conference.
"Definitely, this (increased prices of food) will have no good impact on the government's programme for improvement of people's health status from malnutrition," he said while addressing a press conference on "World Population Day 2008" in the Health Ministry's conference room.
The World Population Day 2008 will be observed today (Friday) with the theme 'It's (planned family) a right, Let's make it real'.
The food adviser said, "It's well-known, the prices of essentials are not at a tolerable level and I also know the same. But people are not coming back home without buying rice, no matter what the price is. Maybe, there are some sufferings for the low-income group."
He said a decline in food prices depends on the situation in the food-exporting countries.
He informed that the country has about .92 million tonnes of food in reserve at present.
The former bureaucrat-turned functionary of the caretaker government informed the press about different measures taken by the government to reduce the total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.2 per cent from the existing 2.7 per cent.
"If we can maintain this target, country's population will increase to 172 million in 2020 and 210 million in 2060," said Shawkat Ali.
Without quoting any latest source of data or statistics, he plainly said that, at present, the country's population is 140 million when asked what about the exact figure of today's population.
The advisor said the maternal death rate is declining and target is to reduce it to 2.4 per cent from existing 3.2 per cent.
He noted that the rate of contraceptive use is declining in the country, but the rate of taking permanent birth-control measures is on the increase.
Referring to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), he mentioned that the life-expectancy rate rose to 65.4 in 2006 from 56.1 in 1991.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary AKM Zafrullah, Additional Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Director General (Health) Md. Abul Faiz and Director General (Family Planning) Kamrunnesa Khanom were present at the press conference.