Post-Covid food production declines

Staff Reporter :
The government expenditure has been increased significantly in outgoing fiscal year for importing food items as the production of staples declined in the country during the post-Covid period.

The information was revealed at the two-day long Asia-Pacific Right to Food & Agrifood System Conference 2023 at Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Hall of the Dhaka University in the capital on Thursday.

The conference revealed that the production of rice and wheat declined to 4.44 lakh crore in the outgoing fiscal year (2022-23) from 4.54 lakh tonnes was in the fiscal year 2020-21.

Due to the decrease in production of the two major food items and increase in prices in international markets, the government is to spend heavily to import the two items.

According to the Bangladesh Bank data, the government’s expenditure increased to Tk 1.5 lakh crore to import agri-goods and food items in first 10 months (July-May) period of the last fiscal year with a view to meeting the local demand.

Christian Aid Country Director Nuzhat Jebin, former professor of Bangladesh Agriculture University Abdul Hamid, Nepal’s government representative Sanjib Kumar Karno and Specialist of SAARC Agriculture Centre Dr Sikander Khan Tanvir, among others, spoke at the conference.

Shahanuare Shaid Shahin, General Secretary of Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF), presented the key-note paper in the plenary session on “Future trajectory of Agroecology in Agrifood System and its governance.”

The conference recommended developing climate resilient and eco-friendly agricultural systems to protect small and marginal farmers, ensuring the Right to Food Act for all, and strengthening people-friendly agriculture and food systems instead of corporate-controlled agriculture systems to make the food system sustainable.