Food security remains elusive with increase in cost of cultivation

CONTRARY to the government claim, Bangladesh has never been secured as far as the domestic food production is concerned, but it has become even more vulnerable of late due to extreme weather conditions, high price of diesel and fertiliser as well as power crisis.

Weather conditions are things we do not have control over, but the hike of electricity and fertiliser price, the two important farm inputs, has turned the situation for farmers even more precarious. Added to this is loadshedding that during the last two heat waves occurred for about eight to ten hours a day. In this monsoon, it is very likely the target food production will be hampered due to floods, specially the northern areas.
If governance of the country was in the right direction and corruption was not that rife, fuel and fertiliser prices would not have to be increased. The government’s mismanagement of the economic affairs has now not only greatly increased the living cost of people in these days of high food inflation; it has also substantially increased the cost of agricultural production.

More agricultural cost means even more shooting up of food prices in the market. If the present inflation is further aggravated by inclement weather and an increased cost of farm inputs, food production for the country is going to be very shaky.
But for target production of rice, farmers must be provided with fertiliser with reasonable price and uninterrupted electricity supply. But the government has not been able to meet the demands of the farmers in time which is a major factor in agriculture.

On achieving food security, we time and again pointed out that Bangladesh must primarily focus on production of grains including rice and wheat. Equal importance has to be put on increasing the production of protein sources such as beef, poultry, fish as well as pulses.

But the government has woefully failed to give the farmers the needed support in this regard. The self-serving politicians of the country are busy now with how they can again stick to power than thinking about the farmers. Food security means in a greater way alleviation of poverty and national strength, but in these two key factors Bangladesh is falling behind because of wrong policies and corruption.