Need to increase food production

According to a recent report prepared by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) titled `World Food and Agriculture Annual Statistical Booklet 2023', Bangladesh produced about 93.3 million tonnes of agricultural produce in FY2021. At the same time, the country imported an estimated 12.5 million tonnes of foods. Based on these figures, FAO calculates that Bangladesh is the third largest importer of food globally after China and the Philippines.
There should be no confusion over the fact that the country has taken giant steps to increase the range of agricultural cultivation over the last two decades. Bangladesh scores above many other countries when it comes to production of staples like rice, vegetable, fish and fruit. Per capita calorie consumption in these categories is good. Then again, it is also true that the nation is lagging in certain areas which include edible oil, meat, milk and there is a significant dearth in consumption of these items because Bangladesh doesn't produce enough.
Agriculture production volume and efficacy in distribution are areas that are always in a state of continual flux due to multifarious reasons. Weather fluctuations, imperfections in the supply chain are factors that do come into play, but there is always room for improvement. Policymakers have stated that steps are being taken to "increase the production of import-dependent food products." That involves items like edible oil, onions and lentils thanks to the introduction of new varieties and also providing incentives to farmers. But will that be enough? There is ample evidence of incentives not reaching target populations such as farmers and where markets are largely in the hands of syndicates, farmers are more often than not left in the lurch because they must sell at break-even prices or at times losses. There has been widespread coverage of this issue in national media but as stated before, policymakers can change it for the better.
The report informs that the average per capita calorie consumption in Bangladesh is 2,614 (global average is 2,931) which isn't particularly on the wrong side. Of this calorie makeup, nearly half (1,288 calories) comes from rice and wheat or other food grain. Edible oil (203 calories), sugar (83 calories), fruit and potato take up similar marginal percentages. That means, mass people are relying on basic staples of rice and wheat to make up the bulk of their daily food intake and there is little variation. This needs to change because as pointed out by nutritionists in the country, food value can be got from consuming low-cost food produced in the country. The current state points to eating habits centered around imported (albeit expensive) foods such as fruits. Although there has been a big push to increase production of fish in the country, production and consumption of other items like edible oil and fruit lag far behind.
It is not merely a question of producing enough quantity and variety of food items. Unless people are encouraged to diversify their eating habits and opt for local varieties of the same foods, the gain will be marginal. Import of foreign foods should be discouraged by slapping non-tariff barriers and local fruits popularized with policy support. Bangladesh has demonstrated the capacity to produce enough food to feed its large population. But changing food habits require a combination of policy-level decisions that include import restriction, effective incentives to farmers for cultivation of import-substitute items and massive campaigns to highlight the greater nutritional values of local varieties of fruits.
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