Replenishing food stock
Thursday, 13 September 2007
THE assurances that have been made by the key functionaries of the caretaker government about the availability of food from public stocks to meet the exigencies in the context of extensive damage that has been caused to the foodcrop sector merit attention. All such assurances do certainly reflect the priority that the government has attached to meeting any demand-supply gap relating to foodgrains. Thus, Finance and Planning Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, while presiding over a meeting of the Advisers' Committee on Public Purchase the other day, dispelled all worries about food supplies. "The supply of food is satisfactory ............. there is nothing to worry about," that was how the media reported about the observation of the Finance and Planning Adviser at the afore-said meeting.
The Adviser did it well by removing any misgiving about the foodstock in the retail market. This is more so in view of the stepped-up efforts of the government to augment supplies in the market through open market sales and to streamline distribution with the support of the Bangladesh Rifles and all other concerned agencies of the government. Unfortunately, there has yet been no mentionable positive impact of such measures in the market. We would, however, expect that the prices of foodgrains would remain, at least, stable for few days.
Meanwhile, the move by the government to procure 0.10 million metric tonnes of imported wheat from local suppliers to replenish food stock is well-purported. On its part, the government will need to assess and review its stock position on a regular basis in the light of its move to help augment supplies in the market though Public Food Distribution System (PFDS). Improved monitoring and appropriate remedial steps are needed now under the extra-ordinary circumstances because of successive floodings this year.
Ahmed Sobhan
Paribagh, Dhaka.
The Adviser did it well by removing any misgiving about the foodstock in the retail market. This is more so in view of the stepped-up efforts of the government to augment supplies in the market through open market sales and to streamline distribution with the support of the Bangladesh Rifles and all other concerned agencies of the government. Unfortunately, there has yet been no mentionable positive impact of such measures in the market. We would, however, expect that the prices of foodgrains would remain, at least, stable for few days.
Meanwhile, the move by the government to procure 0.10 million metric tonnes of imported wheat from local suppliers to replenish food stock is well-purported. On its part, the government will need to assess and review its stock position on a regular basis in the light of its move to help augment supplies in the market though Public Food Distribution System (PFDS). Improved monitoring and appropriate remedial steps are needed now under the extra-ordinary circumstances because of successive floodings this year.
Ahmed Sobhan
Paribagh, Dhaka.